Islamic State leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed “while fighting the enemies of God”, the jihadist group’s spokesman said in an audio message posted on a Telegram channel on Wednesday. -Friday (30).
He added that the new “Caliph of the Muslims” — as the terrorist organization calls its leaders — will be Abu al-Husayn al-Husayni al-Quraishi.
The name Al-Qurashi is associated with families who claim to be descended from Mohammed, essential for a man to be considered a “caliph”.
Hashemi is the second IS leader killed this year. His predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, detonated the explosive belt he was carrying on his body in early February during a US operation in Syria.
The White House welcomed news of Wednesday’s death, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
“We are still working on it,” he said, when asked about reports of the leader’s death. “We welcome the announcement that another leader of Isis is no longer walking the face of the Earth.”
Born in Iraq, Hashemi was the brother of former IS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed in 2019, and joined terrorism after the US action that led to the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.
He was also head of the shura, the council that guides IS strategy and decides leadership succession when a caliph is killed or captured.
At the time of his nomination as “caliph”, two Iraqi security officials and a source linked to Western security services told Reuters that Hashemi’s real name was Juma Awad al-Badri.
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