Iraq says killed 'one of the most dangerous terrorists' in Iraq, world

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Mar 2025 19:48
1 Shares

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi was IS’ so-called governor of the group's Syrian and Iraqi provinces and oversaw its foreign operations offices.

Listen

Soldiers with Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces secure houses and streets during fighting against Islamic State militants to regain control of the eastern neighborhoods of Mosul, Iraq, Dec. 13, 2016 (AP)

Iraqi security forces have eliminated a senior Islamic State (IS) group leader responsible for "foreign operations", Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed on Friday.

Despite Iraq declaring the defeat of the terrorist group in 2017, IS cells remain active, occasionally launching attacks against Iraqi military and police forces.

Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, described by al-Sudani as "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," was sanctioned by the United States in 2023. He was IS’ so-called governor of the group's Syrian and Iraqi provinces and oversaw its foreign operations offices, according to the Iraqi premier.

While al-Sudani did not specify when al-Rufayi was killed, he praised the Iraqi intelligence operation conducted in coordination with the US-led coalition in Iraq.

"The Iraqis continue their remarkable victories against the forces of darkness and terrorism," he wrote in a post on X, adding, "We congratulate Iraq, the Iraqi people, and all peace-loving nations on this significant security achievement."

The Iraqis continue their remarkable victories against the forces of darkness and terrorism. The heroes of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, with support and coordination from the Joint Operations Command and the International Coalition forces, successfully eliminated the…
— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) March 14, 2025

In October, Baghdad reported the killing of nine IS commanders, including Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader, the so-called governor of Iraq for IS, according to Iraq’s Joint Operations Command.

Approximately 2,500 US troops remain stationed in Iraq, which now considers its security forces capable of countering the terrorist threat. In late September, the US and Iraq announced that the international coalition would conclude its military mission in federal Iraq within a year and in the autonomous Kurdistan region by September 2026.