“The Iraqis continue to have an impressive victory over the darkness and the terrorist forces,” Prime Minister Mohammed Shea al-Sudani said in a statement posted on X, previously known as Twitter.
Abdallah Maki Mosleh Al-Rifai, or “Abu Khadija,” was the “Deputy Caliph” of the extremist group and described him as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
On his true social platform on Friday night, US President Donald Trump said, “Today, the leader of the ISIS fugitives of Iraq has been killed. He has been mercilessly cornered by our brave fighters, working with the Iraqi government and Kurdish local government.”
“Peace through power!” posted by Trump.
Security officials said the operation was carried out by air strikes in Amber province, western Iraq. A second official said the operation took place Thursday night, but that Al Lifai’s death was confirmed on Friday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly. The announcement came on the same day as the first visit to Iraq by a top Syrian diplomat. Meanwhile, the two countries have pledged to cooperate in the fight. “There is a common challenge facing Syrian and Iraqi associations, especially terrorists, face IS terrorists,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Huad Hussein said at a press conference. He said authorities said “in detail about ISIS’s movements, whether during the visit, whether it’s within Syria-Iraq’s border, within Syria or within Iraq.”
Hussein said at a recent meeting in Amman that he faced, he mentioned the operational office formed by Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and would soon start work.
Iraq and Syria ties have been somewhat plagued after the collapse of former Syrian president Bashar Assad. Al Sudani came to power with the support of a coalition of Iran-backed factions, and Tehran was Assad’s main supporter. Ahmad al-Shara, the current interim president of Syria, formerly known as Abu Mohamed Al-Gorani, fought as an al-Qaeda extremist in Iraq after the 2003 US invasion and later fought Syrian Assad’s government.
However, Syrian interim foreign minister Asad Hassan Al-Albani focused on the historic ties between the two countries.
“Through history, Baghdad and Damascus have been the capitals of the Arab and Islamic world, sharing knowledge, culture and economy,” he said.
He said strengthening the partnership between the two countries “not only benefits our people, it also contributes to regional stability, reduces dependence on external forces, and allows us to better judge our own destiny.”
The operation and visit comes as Iraqi officials worry about their revival in the wake of the collapse of Syria’s Assad.
The new ruler of Syria, led by former Muslim rebel Hayat Taharir al-Sham – has been pursuing cells since he came to power, but fears a collapse of overall security that will allow the group to carry out its revival.
Last year, the US and Iraq announced an agreement to close the US-led coalition’s military mission to combat Iraq’s group by September 2025.
When an agreement was reached to end the coalition’s mission in Iraq, Iraqi political leaders said the threat was under control and they no longer needed Washington’s help to defeat the remaining cells.
However, the collapse of Assad in December would have resulted in a reevaluation of its stance that involves members of the coordination framework, a predominantly Shia, coalition of coalitions, a political party allied to Iran that exerted current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Siah al-Sudani in power in the second half of 2022.
