A high-profile leader of ISIS, described as one of the world’s “most dangerous men,” was killed in a US air strike Friday.
The terror group’s second in command, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, or ‘Abu Khadijah,’ was known as the “deputy caliph” of ISIS, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on X, where he announced the killing. Khadijah was in charge of a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organization.
US Central Command released video of the airstrike that reportedly killed ISIS leader Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai on March 13, 2025. CENTCOM/X
The precision airstrike was conducted in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. CENTCOM/X“The Iraqis continue their remarkable victories against the forces of darkness and terrorism,” added Shia al-Sudani.
President Trump applauded the terrorist leader’s demise in a Truth Social post Friday night.
“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,” Trump wrote.
A masked Islamic State soldier holds the terror group’s flag somewhere in the deserts of the Middle East. Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images“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.”
Forces found two dead terrorists at the strike site in Iraq’s Al Anbar province. Kadhija, along with another ISIS target, were wearing unexploded “suicide vests” and had multiple weapons, US Central Command said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House on April 15, 2024. APKhadijah was identified through DNA from a sample collected during a previous raid where he barely escaped.
“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,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, of U.S. Central Command.
The attack was conducted by US forces, with the help of Iraqi intelligence and security forces.
