Trump says senior ISIS leader was killed in Iraq and his “painful life was fired”
Iraqi Prime Minister announced on Friday that the Islamic State leader in Iraq and Syria had been killed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai or “Abu Khadija” were killed in an operation along with U.S.-led joint forces among Iraq’s National Intelligence Agency members.
The Prime Minister described Al-Rifai as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
U.S. President Donald Trump responded to news about the truth socialization of his social media platform, saying Al-Rifai’s “tragic life was terminated.”
Former Iraqi refugee lives in Texas
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani described Al-Rifai as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.” (AP)
“Today, the fugitive leader of Iraq ISIS was killed,” Trump wrote on Friday night. “He was ruthlessly hunted by our brave fighters. Coordinating with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government, his miserable life was terminated with another member of ISIS.”
“Peace by strength!” the president added.
US Central Command said in a statement that its forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and security forces, conducted an airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the “Global ISIS #2 leader, Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir – Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, alias ‘Abu Khadijah,’ and one other ISIS operating.”
US President Donald Trump said Al-Rifai’s “painful life is terminated.” (Getty Image)
“As the emirate of ISIS’s highest decision-making body, Abu Khadijah is responsible for the operations, logistics and planning of ISIS around the world and directs most of the finances for the group’s global organizations,” Centcom said.
ISIS/Iraq/Syria: A masked ISIS soldier is placed somewhere in the Iraq or Syrian desert. ISIS Propaganda Images, 2015. (Historical/Universal Image Group Pictures Through Getty Images)
After the strike, U.S. and Iraqi forces moved to the strike location and found that everyone was wearing an unexploded “suicide vest” and possessing multiple weapons, Centcom said.
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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani spoke at a press conference after meeting with Iraq on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)
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U.S. and Iraqi forces were able to use DNA collected in previous raids to identify al-Rifai, when he nearly escaped.
“Abu Khadijah is one of the most important ISIS members in the global ISIS organization. We will continue to kill terrorists and demolish their allies in the region and our homeland and our organizations.”
