Iraqi security forces have killed a top Islamic State (IS) leader responsible for overseeing foreign operations, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced.
U.S. President Donald Trump later confirmed the news, stating the militant’s “miserable life was brought to an end.”
Despite Iraq’s formal declaration of victory over IS in 2017, the extremist group continues to maintain sleeper cells that launch intermittent attacks on security personnel.
The slain militant, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, was described by Sudani as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and across the globe.” According to the prime minister, Rufayi had been overseeing IS operations in both Iraq and Syria while also directing the group’s foreign activities.
Sudani did not disclose the exact date of Rufayi’s death but commended Iraqi intelligence forces for executing the mission in partnership with the U.S.-led coalition.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump declared, “Today, the fugitive ISIS leader in Iraq was taken down. He was relentlessly pursued by our fearless warriors. His miserable life was ended, along with another ISIS operative, through coordinated efforts with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government.”
The U.S. Central Command later released a video of the strike, confirming that Rufayi was IS’s second-in-command at the time of his elimination. The statement also revealed that both Rufayi and an accomplice had been wearing unexploded suicide vests, and his identity was verified through DNA testing.
Iraq has ramped up its campaign against IS remnants. In October, security forces eliminated nine senior IS figures, including Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader, the group’s so-called governor of Iraq.
IS first seized vast areas in Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a self-styled “caliphate” infamous for its brutality. Though it was officially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and lost its final stronghold in Syria by 2019, the organization continues to operate in remote regions.
Currently, around 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, though the Iraqi government has stated that its security forces are now fully capable of handling the jihadist threat. In September, Iraq and the U.S. announced a phased withdrawal of coalition forces, with operations set to conclude entirely in Iraq’s Kurdistan region by September 2026.
