The Islamic State group has confirmed for the primary time that its chief was killed in a US strike in north-western Syria final month and named his successor.
It was the primary official remark from the militant group about its chief Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi since US officers stated he blew himself up together with members of his household as American forces raided his hideout within the northwestern Syrian city of Atmeh, close to the border with Turkey, on February 3.
In an audio message launched Thursday, IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer confirmed the loss of life of the chief, in addition to that of the group’s former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, within the raid.
Al-Muhajer additionally stated that IS has named a successor to the previous chief, figuring out him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the following caliph.
There was no rapid details about the brand new chief and it wasn't recognized whether or not he's Iraqi like his two predecessors, each killed in rebel-held elements of Syria.
Final month's US strike was the second time in three years that the US took out the highest IS chief.
Not one of the al-Qurayshis are believed to be associated. Al-Qurayshi isn't their actual identify however comes from Quraish, the identify of the tribe that Islam's Prophet Muhammad belonged to.
IS claims its leaders hail from this tribe and “al-Qurayshi" serves as a part of an IS chief's nom de guerre.
“He has accepted the management,” al-Muhajer stated of the brand new IS chief, with out offering his actual identify.
Within the US raid, about 50 US particular operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a home in a rebel-held nook of Syria, clashing for 2 hours with gunmen.
In all, 13 folks have been killed, together with six youngsters and 4 ladies. Residents described steady gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh close to the Turkish border, an space dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria’s civil warfare.
On the top of its energy, after declaring an Islamic caliphate in 2014, IS managed a 3rd of each Syria and Iraq and dominated over 8 million folks.
Since their defeat in 2019, the militants have struggled to mount a resurgence, staging lethal assaults in each Syria and Iraq.
In January, IS launched a posh assault on a jail in northeast Syria holding not less than 3000 IS detainees and setting off 10 days of clashes with US-backed Syrian Kurdish-led fighters.
The battles killed greater than 120 Syrian Kurdish fighters and jail staff, together with 374 militants.