Islamic State Leader Killed in Iraq: Donald Trump Reacts to Abu Khadija’s Death

Islamic State Leader Killed in Iraq: A senior Islamic State (IS) group leader in Iraq and Syria has been killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister has said.

Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, "was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world", according to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

US President Donald Trump on Friday reacted to the killing Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, also known as Abu Khadija, saying that his “miserable life was terminated".

In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said, “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!”

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Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also posted on X about the death of Abu Khadija, who he stated, “was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world".

He added, “We congratulate Iraq, the Iraqi people, and all peace-loving nations on this significant security achievement.”

Rifai was found dead alongside one other IS operative, Centcom said.

"Both terrorists were wearing unexploded 'suicide vests' and had multiple weapons," it added.

Centcom and Iraqi forces were able to identify him through a DNA match from DNA collected on a previous raid where he "narrowly escaped", it added.

Gen Michael Erik Kurilla said Rifai "was one of the most important IS members in the entire global IS organisation.

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"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 U.S. and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.

When the agreement was reached to end the coalition's mission in Iraq, Iraqi political leaders said the threat of IS was under control and they no longer needed Washington's help to beat back the remaining cells.

But the fall of Assad in December led some to reassess that stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022.

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