US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces eliminated ISIS’s second-in-command Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known by his alias “Abu Khadijah,” on Thursday in western Iraq, the organization announced in a post on X/Twitter on Saturday morning.
Khadijah was the group’s Chief of Global Operations in Iraq.
CENTCOM conducted the strike in cooperation with Iraqi intelligence; US President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that it was also done in coordination with the Kurdish Regional Government. Another ISIS terrorist was killed in the strike.
CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Chief of Global Operations Who Also Served as ISIS #2On March 13, U.S. Central Command forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and Security Forces, conducted a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the Global ISIS #2 leader,… pic.twitter.com/rWeEoUY7Lw
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2025
Khadijah was responsible for ISIS’s operations, logistics, and planning conducted by the terrorist organization globally, according to CENTCOM.
Statements about strike that killed ISIS leader
Trump spoke about Khadijah in his post, sating that he was “relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said that “Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization.
“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.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani initially announced al-Rifai’s death in a statement on Friday, noting that he was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
Both Iraqi and CENTCOM forces arrived at the site after it was struck. The team used the ISIS leader’s DNA to confirm his death, which they had previously collected on a different high-stakes mission.
They found his body and the body of the other ISIS terrorist; both were killed wearing unexploded “suicide vests” and had multiple weapons.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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