On his Truth Social platform Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters” in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government.

Iraq's prime minister has described Abu Khadija as "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world". On Thursday, an airstrike targeted his vehicle and US forces said they had confirmed his death using DNA tests.

The militant known as Abu Khadijah was one of the most important members in the Islamic State’s global organization, according to Centcom.