Since its defeat in Iraq in September 2017 at the hands of Iraqi and Coalition forces, the Daesh terrorist organization has been trying to regroup and activate its fugitive remnants.
Iraqi forces, in conjunction with Coalition forces, continue pursuing the group’s remnants across Iraq and Syria, killing and capturing many and forcing others to hide in remote rugged mountains and deserts.
In March 2025, Iraqi authorities announced an airstrike that killed Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, a key Daesh leader, describing him as one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.
Daesh’s second-most senior decision-maker,
Abu Khadijah was responsible for operations, logistics and planning and distributed money to affiliates around the world.
A United Nations report indicates that Abu Khadijah ran Daesh operations across Iraq, Syria, Türkiye and other parts of the Middle East.
Seven additional Daesh operatives were arrested, including two women, in a follow-up operation in Al Anbar governorate. Intelligence collected at the scene of the airstrike led to the arrest of another five people, in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that his country’s forces “have killed the terrorist Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, nicknamed Abu Khadijah, who had served as the so-called governor
of Iraq and Syria.”
The strike was a result of a two-year effort to
track the terrorist’s hideouts.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Abu Khadijah’s death, saying that its forces, in cooperation with Iraqi intelligence and security forces, carried out a precision airstrike in Al Anbar.
“We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond,” said then-CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, who is now retired.
Intelligence reports estimate the number of Daesh members still operating throughout Iraq and Syria at between 1,500 and 3,000. The majority of these operate in Syria, where the group has lately been trying to exploit the disintegration of Bashar Assad’s regime.
Sources: Al Mada, USCENTCOM, France24.com, republicworld.com, voanews.com