Iraq says ‘dangerous’ ISIL leader Abu Khadija killed

Iraq’s prime minister claimed that the US-led anti-ISIL coalition had supported the killing of the leader of the ISIL (ISIS) organization.

Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufay’i, also known as Abu Khadija, was killed by Iraqi security forces, according to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday, with the support of the US-led coalition fighting ISIL.

According to Sudani, “The Iraqis continue to win over the forces of darkness and terrorism,” adding that Abu Khadija was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”

Iraq reclaimed all of the territory it had been under the control of ISIL since the summer of 2014, which is thought to be about a third of the country’s territory. In 2017, Iraq won.

However, the group still maintains sleeper cells in significant portions of Iraq and occasionally launches attacks.

Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s interim foreign minister, traveled to Iraq on Friday to announce that his country was ready to “reinforce cooperation” in the fight against ISIL remnants.

Al-Shaibani and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein both spoke at a press conference in Baghdad, saying, “Security is a shared responsibility. Along the entire length of the border, we are prepared to work with Iraq to fight Daesh, an Arabic acronym for ISIL. According to the official INA news agency, “terrorism knows no borders.”

He added that reopening the border would be a crucial step in boosting trade between the two nations as part of Friday’s visit.

Following the swift opposition offensive that threw Bashar al-Assad to power in December, Iraq ordered the security-conscious country to close the border.

Relations between the neighbors have become strained since al-Assad’s removal, who had been a close ally of Baghdad, was removed.

Iraq is a significant ally of Iran, but it also serves as one of the country’s strategic partners. During Syria’ 13-year civil war, which began with the security forces’ crackdown on demonstrations in 2011, some Iraqi armed groups fought to defend al-Assad’s rule.