Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced Friday the death of a senior leader within the Islamic State organization in Iraq and Syria.

Al-Sudani’s statement identified the leader as Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija, and credited Iraqi national intelligence and U.S.-led coalition forces with the operation.

The prime minister characterized al-Rifai as an extremely dangerous terrorist, both in Iraq and internationally.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the death via his social media platform, Truth Social, stating that al-Rifai’s “miserable life was terminated.”

Trump’s post added that the ISIS leader had been relentlessly hunted and was killed along with another ISIS member in a coordinated effort with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional Government. He concluded with the phrase, “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement confirming that U.S. forces, in conjunction with Iraqi intelligence and security forces, carried out an airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The strike resulted in the death of Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, who CENTCOM identified as the “Global ISIS #2 leader, Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir,” along with one other ISIS operative.

CENTCOM’s statement further elaborated that Abu Khadijah, as Emir of ISIS’s highest decision-making body, oversaw operations, logistics, and planning for ISIS globally and controlled a significant portion of the group’s finances.

Following the airstrike, U.S. and Iraqi forces secured the site and discovered the bodies of the two ISIS operatives, both of whom were wearing unexploded suicide vests and possessed multiple weapons, according to CENTCOM.

Al-Rifai’s identification was made possible through DNA evidence collected during a previous raid from which he narrowly escaped.

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander at CENTCOM, emphasized Abu Khadijah’s importance within the global ISIS organization and reiterated the commitment to eliminate terrorists and dismantle their networks that pose a threat to the U.S., its allies, and partners in the region and beyond.

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