Islamic State Leader Killed in US-Iraqi Operation

A senior Islamic State (IS) leader in Iraq and Syria, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifa, also known as Abu Khadija, has been killed in a joint operation by the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and US-led coalition forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced.Al-Rifa, described as one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, led IS’s highest decision-making body and oversaw operations, logistics, and global financing. The US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed his death in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, stating that he was found with another IS operative, both wearing unexploded suicide vests.US President Donald Trump hailed the operation, declaring on Truth Social: “His miserable life was terminated… PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”Centcom added that Al-Rifa was identified through DNA evidence from an earlier raid he narrowly escaped. Gen Michael Erik Kurilla emphasized that the US and its allies would continue dismantling IS networks.Despite IS’s territorial defeat in 2019, the group remains a threat, with sleeper cells still active in Iraq and Syria.