Iraq Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani on Friday revealed that a top commander of the terrorist outfit, Islamic State, was killed by the security forces of the country.
The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service received the support of the Iraqi intelligence and the US-led coalition that includes the Kurds.
Who was Abu Khadija?
Born in 1991, Abu Khadija aka Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufay’i was considered "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," according to the Iraqi premier. He was regarded as the "Deputy Caliph" of ISIS.
يواصل العراقيون انتصاراتهم المبهرة على قوى الظلام والإرهاب، حيث تمكن أبطال جهاز المخابرات الوطني العراقي، بإسناد وتنسيق من قيادة العمليات المشتركة وقوات التحالف الدولي، من قتل الإرهابي عبد الله مكي مصلح الرفيعي المكنى (أبو خديجة) الذي يشغل منصب ما يسمّى (نائب الخليفة وهو الذي…
— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) March 14, 2025
Khadija who joined al-Qaeda in 2009 was arrested two years later. However, he managed to escape from Tasfirat prison. He made headlines again when the Islamic State conquered Saladin province in 2014.
Khadija was part of the Saad bin Abi Waqas Brigade and later joined the al-Qadisiyyah Division of Third Brigade, Abu Abdulla al-Ansari Battalion. He then became the Kirkuk security chief before being appointed the "Wali of the Wilayat Iraq and Al-Sham, Blessed Land."
Khadija's influence within the group's hierarchy meant that he was poised to become the next Islamic State caliph. Hence, the death of the would-be ISIS chief is seen as a huge blow to the group.
Trump confirms death of Abu Khadija
Confirming the death of Abu Khadija, US President Donald Trump said the ISIS commander and another operative of the terror outfit were killed in a joint operation carried out by the American, Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
“Today, the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters,” Trump posted on Truth Social. "His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS... PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!"
Notably, former ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during the first Trump administration in a 2019 raid by US special forces. Trump back then said Baghdadi died "like a coward and a dog" after being chased into a dead-end tunnel, claiming he was crying and screaming before his death.
