Approximately 2,500 U.S. troops remain deployed in Iraq, although the United States and Iraq recently announced plans to end the coalition's military mission in the country by 2026.
The news was confirmed by Iraq's Prime Minister, in what he described as a joint operation with Iraqi security forces
Approximately 2,500 U.S. troops remain deployed in Iraq, although the United States and Iraq recently announced plans to end the coalition's military mission in the country by 2026.
Iraqi security forces, in coordination with the U.S.-led international anti-extremist coalition, have killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rufayi, a senior ISIS leader responsible for "foreign operations", according to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
Al-Rufayi, sanctioned by the United States in 2023, was considered one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world. Additionally, he was the ISIS governor for the group's Syrian and Iraqi provinces.
The operation, carried out by Iraqi intelligence, resulted in al-Rufayi's death, although the exact timing of the attack has not been specified. In October, Iraqi forces killed nine other ISIS commanders, including Jassim al-Mazrouei Abu Abdel Qader, the so-called governor of Iraq for ISIS.
Although ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 and lost its last territory in Syria in 2019, the group continues to operate in rural areas of Iraq and in the vast Syrian desert.
The continued presence of ISIS cells has raised concerns about potential resurgences, especially after changes in Syria's political situation following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Despite this, concerns persist about ISIS's ability to regroup, especially with the evolving security situation in Syria. This has led some Iraqi officials to reconsider the presence of foreign troops in the region.
On the same day, Syria's interim Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, visited Baghdad for talks with his Iraqi counterpart, focused on the ongoing fight against ISIS.
Earlier in February, President Donald Trump ordered an attack on the terrorist group's facilities in which several caves used for various operations were destroyed.
