U.S. President Donald Trump announced the death of a top ISIS leader following an airstrike in western Iraq.
He shared the news on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating that the “fugitive ISIS leader in Iraq was killed” after being “relentlessly hunted down by our fearless fighters.” He added, “His miserable life was ended along with another ISIS member.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) later provided details of the operation. In a statement on X, military officials confirmed a “precision airstrike in Al-Anbar province” carried out in coordination with Iraqi intelligence and security forces.
According to the statement, the strike killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as “Abu Hadija,” who was ISIS’s second-in-command, leader of global operations, and an authorized emir of the group’s committee. Another ISIS fighter was also killed.
Following the attack, U.S. and Iraqi forces inspected the site, recovering two bodies wearing unexploded suicide vests and several weapons. CENTCOM confirmed that Abu Hadija’s identity was verified through DNA testing.
