Islamic State leader killed in Iraq, Donald Trump takes credit: ‘Miserable life terminated’

Islamic State leader Abu Khadija held the position of the so-called governor of Iraq and Syria and was also the head of its foreign operations offices.

Published on: Mar 15, 2025, 13:26:51 IST

By HT News Desk

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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".

IS leader Abu Khadiya was killed by Iraqi security forces on March 13 (US central command/X)

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!”

Prime Minister 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.”

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Abu Khadija, held the position of the so-called governor of Iraq and Syria for the Islamic State, and was also the head of its foreign operations offices.

The ISIS leader had been sanctioned by the US in 2023, and the current military operation by Iraqi forces was carried out in coordination with US forces.

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The US Central Command posted a video on X of the strike which killed the IS leader and another operative.

They stated that both fighters had been wearing unexploded "suicide vests" and that they had identified Abu Khadija through a DNA match.

On October 24, Iraqi forces killed nine ISIS group commanders, including the so-called governor of Iraq for IS at the time, Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader.

In September last year, the US and Iraq had announced that they would end their decade-long military mission together in Iraq and slowly withdraw US troops.

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HT News Desk
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