Top ISIS leader killed in joint U.S.-Iraqi operation

President Trump hails killing as major milestone in war on terror.

Published: March 15, 2025 1:24am

The Trump administration and the Iraqi government scored a major win in the war on terror, conducting a joint operation that killed the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced late Friday that Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or "Abu Khadija," was killed in the joint operation.

President Donald Trump hailed the operation in a late-night social media post.

“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,” Trump wrote. “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!”

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