Head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria killed, Iraqi PM says

Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai was killed by Iraqi intelligence members and US-led coalition forces, PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says

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Iraqi Army soldiers hold a flag of Islamic State after regaining control of a village outside Mosul in 2016. Photo: AP

Published: 12:17pm, 15 Mar 2025

The head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed in Iraq in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister announced on Friday.

“The Iraqis continue their impressive victories over the forces of darkness and terrorism,” Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or “Abu Khadija,” was “deputy caliph” of the militant group and “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world,” the statement said.

On his Truth Social platform on Friday night, US President Donald Trump said: “Today the fugitive leader of Isis in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters” in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government.

“PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!” Trump posted.

A security official said the operation was carried out by an air strike in Anbar province, in western Iraq. A second official said the operation took place on Thursday night but that al-Rifai’s death was confirmed on Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.