Washington announces the killing of ISIS's global operations leader in Iraq.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Saturday that Abdullah Makki Musleh al-Rifai (known as Abu Khadija), ISIS's global operations commander and second-in-command (deputy caliph), was killed in an airstrike on March 13 in Anbar province, western Iraq.

"CENTCOM forces, in conjunction with Iraqi intelligence and security forces, conducted a precision airstrike in Anbar province, killing ISIS's second-in-command, chief of operations, and authorized committee official, Abdullah Makki Musleh al-Rifai (alias Abu Khadija), and another ISIS operative," CENTCOM said in a statement on its X platform.

The statement added: "As an emir, he is the highest decision-making body within ISIS. Abu Khadija is responsible for ISIS's global operations, logistics, and planning, and manages a significant portion of the organization's global financing."

After the raid, CENTCOM forces traveled to the site, accompanied by Iraqi forces, and found two ISIS members dead, according to the same source.

The statement explained that "both terrorists were wearing unexploded suicide vests and possessed multiple weapons. Forces were able to identify Abu Khadija by matching DNA taken from a previous raid from which he had miraculously survived."

In this regard, General Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of CENTCOM, said: "Abu Khadija was one of the most important ISIS operatives in the global ISIS movement, and we will continue to eliminate terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland, U.S. personnel, and our allies and partners in the region and beyond."

On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced via the X platform the killing of what he called "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," in a joint operation supported by international coalition forces.

Al-Sudani said, "The Iraqi National Intelligence Service, with support and coordination from the Joint Operations Command and the international coalition forces, was able to kill the terrorist Abdullah Maki Musleh al-Rifai (nicknamed Abu Khadija)."

He explained that Al-Rifai "occupies the position of the so-called deputy caliph, who also holds the position of the so-called governor of Iraq and Syria, the head of the authorized committee, and the head of the foreign operations offices."

At the end of 2017, Baghdad declared victory over the terrorist organization ISIS, reclaiming the territory it had controlled, which amounted to approximately one-third of Iraq's area. However, the organization remains active in the provinces of Anbar (west), Salah al-Din (central), Kirkuk (north), and Diyala (east), while the government launches security and military operations to eliminate it in the face of occasional attacks.

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