ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic State (ISIS) spokesperson said Wednesday that the group’s leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi has been killed while combatting “the enemies of Allah” without elaborating when and where he died. The spokesperson also announced a replacement.
In an audio message shared on the group's propaganda Telegram channel, ISIS spokesperson Abu Omar al-Muhajir said that al-Qurashi was killed in combat.
“The emir of the believers and the caliph of the Muslims, Sheikh Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, has been killed while he was killing the enemies of Allah,” he said without providing more information on the leader’s death.
The spokesperson also said that the group has appointed Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi as a replacement.
Rudaw English reached out to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for a comment on their possible role in the death of the deceased ISIS leader but they are yet to respond.
A spokesperson for the global coalition against ISIS told Rudaw English late Wednesday that the "removal of ISIS leaders degrades the terrorist organization's ability to further execute global attacks," adding that "ISIS continues to represent a threat to the US and partners in the region."
However, the spokesperson refused to confirm or deny any involvement of the US-led coalition forces with the death of the ISIS former leader.
ISIS declared a “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq in 2014, taking control of swathes of land in both countries. Its first leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a US-forces raid in 2019. His successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was killed in northwest Syria in February.
Updated at 10:30pm with reaction from the global coalition against ISIS spokesperson
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