{"id":123197,"date":"2025-03-15T09:03:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T09:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=123197"},"modified":"2025-03-15T09:48:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T09:48:16","slug":"u-s-strike-eliminates-isis-second-in-command-in-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/123197\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. strike eliminates ISIS second-in-command in Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) \u2013<\/strong> The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday the killing<\/a> of the second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, a figure the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described as one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who was Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1991, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, known as “Abu Khadija”, joined extremist groups in his teenage years. He initially became part of the Islamic State of Iraq, the predecessor of ISIS, according to al-Hurra.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Due to his growing militant activity, he was arrested by Iraqi forces and imprisoned in Tasfirat Prison in al-Rusafa. However, in 2012, he escaped during an ISIS-led attack on the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his escape, Abu Khadija rejoined ISIS, quickly climbing the ranks. He held multiple key positions, including, Senior figure in Diwan al-Jund (ISIS\u2019s equivalent of a Ministry of Defense), Emir of the Military Police in the al-Qadisiyah Division (2014).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, he was Deputy Governor of Diyala, before being appointed ISIS\u2019s Governor of Diyala after his predecessor was killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By early 2021, he had risen to become ISIS\u2019s Governor of Iraq, succeeding Abu Yasser al-Issawi, who was killed in an airstrike in Kirkuk\u2019s Wadi al-Shay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts on extremist groups emphasize that Abu Khadija’s influence extended beyond Iraq, as he coordinated ISIS\u2019s foreign operations, earning him a reputation as one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2023, the U.S. State Department officially designated Abu Khadija as a global terrorist, citing his role in undermining international peace and security through terrorist activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his death, Abu Abdul Qadir al-Mazroui al-Iraqi was reportedly appointed as his successor, responsible for ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the killing, stating, “Today, the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, “His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed that the operation was coordinated with the U.S.-led Global Coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized that Abu Khadija was ISIS\u2019s Deputy Caliph, Governor of Iraq and Syria, and a key figure in the organization\u2019s Foreign Operations Office, reiterating that he was one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Abdulsalam Khoja<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday the killing of the second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, a figure the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described as one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world. Who was Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai? Born in 1991, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":123198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,7,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-military-developments","category-syria"],"yoast_head":"\nU.S. strike eliminates ISIS second-in-command in Iraq<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday the killing of the second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/123197\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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