U.S. Takes Out ISIS’s Number Two Leader [WATCH]

A U.S.-led coalition airstrike has eliminated Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as “Abu Khadijah,” the second-highest-ranking leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

The operation took place Thursday in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM confirmed that its forces, in coordination with Iraqi Intelligence and Security Forces, carried out the targeted strike.

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“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,” President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social.

“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!”

PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH! pic.twitter.com/kudxL3kQYS

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) March 15, 2025

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A video accompanying CENTCOM’s statement showed what appeared to be a vehicle traveling along a road before being struck by an airstrike, erupting in an explosion before veering off in a plume of smoke.

Following the strike, local forces arrived at the scene and confirmed the deaths of al-Rifai and another ISIS operative.

CENTCOM reported that both individuals were found wearing unexploded suicide vests and were in possession of multiple weapons.

Al-Rifai’s identity was confirmed through DNA analysis, matching samples collected from a previous raid in which he had narrowly escaped capture.

CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Chief of Global Operations Who Also Served as ISIS #2

On March 13, U.S. Central Command forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and Security Forces, conducted a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the Global ISIS #2 leader,… pic.twitter.com/rWeEoUY7Lw

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2025

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani praised the successful operation, emphasizing the continued fight against terrorism.

“The Iraqis continue their remarkable victories against the forces of darkness and terrorism,” he stated.

The Iraqis continue their remarkable victories against the forces of darkness and terrorism. The heroes of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, with support and coordination from the Joint Operations Command and the International Coalition forces, successfully eliminated the…

— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) March 14, 2025

Al-Rifai held a crucial leadership role within ISIS as the “Emir” of the group’s highest decision-making council.

He was responsible for overseeing global operations, logistics, planning, and a significant portion of the organization’s financial activities, according to CENTCOM.

Holding what was described as the “so-called position of (Deputy Caliph),” al-Rifai was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, Prime Minister al-Sudani added, congratulating his country and “all peace-loving nations on this significant security achievement.”

General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, reaffirmed the U.S. military’s commitment to dismantling terrorist organizations.

“Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization,” Kurilla said.

“We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”

The operation marks another significant blow to ISIS leadership.

In October 2019, ISIS leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a Trump administration-led military operation, Operation Kayla Mueller.

Shane Gillis replaying the leader of Isis, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death, is a classic pic.twitter.com/iPiiBfPNm5

— Sara Rose (@saras76) June 14, 2024

The raid was named after an American humanitarian worker who had been kidnapped and later killed by ISIS.

Al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and two of his children as U.S. forces closed in on his hiding place.

Russia had previously claimed to have killed him in 2017. Following his death, CENTCOM confirmed that al-Baghdadi’s remains were buried at sea.

The latest operation further weakens ISIS’s ability to coordinate global terror operations, as coalition forces continue their efforts to prevent the group’s resurgence.

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