Washington: A high-ranking Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative, known for his lethal influence within the organisation, was killed along with another unidentified member of the terror group, in a coordinated operation involving US, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed the operation. The slain ISIS leader has been identified as Abdullah Maki Musleh al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija. Al-Sudani praised the efforts of Iraqi security forces and the US-led coalition on X. He claimed Abu Khadija was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.” According to al-Sudani elimination of Abu Khadija marks another significant victory in Iraq’s ongoing fight against terrorism.
“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters,” Trump said. The White House had shared visuals of the airstrike. Abu Khadija was considered a potential contender for the position of ISIS’s global leader, or “caliph.”
The news of his elimination was announced on Friday, coinciding with the visit of Syria’s Foreign Minister Assas Al-Shaybani to Iraq. Both the countries collaborated in the fight against the Islamic State. “Security is a shared responsibility,” al-Shaibani said during a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. He further added that they were ready to reinforce cooperation with Iraq in the fight against Daesh along the whole length of the border.