TUNIS, March 14. /TASS/. Iraqi security forces, acting with the support of international coalition forces, eliminated one of the leaders of the Islamic State (banned in Russia), known as Abu Khadija, who is viewed as one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said.
"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 terrorist Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufay'i, known as Abu Khadija," the prime minister said on X. "He was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world."
Al-Sudani said the terrorist held senior positions in the extremist group.
IS militants occupied about a third of Iraq's territory in the summer of 2014. In 2015, with the support of the international coalition, Iraqi government forces started a major campaign to liberate those areas. In December 2017, Iraq’s then-Prime Minister Heidar al-Abadi announced a total defeat of IS. However, security agencies are still conducting operations in different parts of the country to destroy the terrorist underground, whose members have been carrying out attacks on law enforcement officers, the military and civilians.