ISIS chief in Syria Abu Khadija, 'one of world's most dangerous terrorists', killed by Iraq forces
ByHT News Desk
Mar 14, 2025 10:08 PM IST
Abu Khadija was killed by Iraqi security forces, with the support of the US-led coalition, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told.
Iraq's Prime Minister announced that the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, calling him as "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world."
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani addresses a press conference with the Czech Prime Minister at the Straka Academy in Prague on February 13, 2025.(AFP)
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani addresses a press conference with the Czech Prime Minister at the Straka Academy in Prague on February 13, 2025.(AFP)
Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, also known as Abu Khadija was killed by Iraqi security forces, with the support of the US-led coalition, Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani informed on Friday.
Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi "was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world", Sudani said in a post on X.
Also Read: Iraq's top court suspends new legislation that activists say undermines women's rights
The Islamic State ruled with a hardline Islamist approach over millions of people in Syria and Iraq for several years and is now attempting to make a comeback in the Middle East, the West, and Asia.
In 2014, former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate over at least a quarter of Iraq and Syria, before he was killed in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria in 2019, which led to the group's collapse.
The US Central Command reported last July that the group has been attempting to rebuild itself after several years of diminished capabilities.
Also Read: Regime change in Syria has Iraqi factions backtracking on push for US withdrawal
The command based its assessment on ISIS's claim of launching 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first half of 2024, suggesting a trend that could see the group "more than double" its attacks compared to the previous year.
ISIS, national security threat
Over the years the terrorist organisation has faced a number of challenges in leadership and recently the death of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.
Since then, the leadership of ISIS has been in a state of disorder with several of his successors being killed shortly after ascending to the position.
Nonetheless, ISIS still presents a significant security risk through its branches and connections in the Middle East and other regions.
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