President Donald Trump has declared that the “the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq” was killed following a “precision airstrike” by the US.
Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai – also known as Abu Khadijah – was senior leader of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
Described by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world”, his death was carried out in a US-led airstrike in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, marking a major blow to the terrorist organization.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the operation, stating that it conducted a “precision airstrike” in coordination with Iraqi intelligence and security forces.
Rifai was identified as the group’s global operations chief and the leader of IS’s most senior decision-making body. He played a critical role in the group’s logistics, planning, and financing, according to CENTCOM.
US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to confirm the strike, saying: “Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters.
“His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
Following the attack, CENTCOM and Iraqi forces secured the site and confirmed the deaths of Rifai and another IS operative. Both were found wearing unexploded suicide vests and carrying multiple weapons, per BBC News.
The identification of Rifai was confirmed through DNA testing, using samples collected from a previous raid where he had narrowly escaped.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, called Rifai “one of the most important IS members in the entire global IS organization.”
He added, per Sky News: “We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and US, allied, and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”
The airstrike took place amid heightened concerns about an IS resurgence in Iraq and Syria. Iraq declared IS defeated in December 2017, and the group was driven from its last territorial stronghold in 2019. However, IS militants and sleeper cells continue to launch sporadic attacks against Iraqi security forces.
The timing of the operation coincided with a diplomatic meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani in Baghdad, where both nations pledged to continue their fight against IS. Some officials worry that instability in Syria, particularly following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could create conditions for an IS comeback.
This operation also comes as Iraq and the US prepare to wind down the American-led military coalition’s mission against IS by September 2025, a move that will see the withdrawal of some US forces after two decades in the country.
With Rifai’s death, Iraqi and US officials are hailing the mission as a significant victory, reinforcing their commitment to dismantling IS’s remaining networks.
