Islamic State leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
was killed "in combat".
This was announced by the
ISIS spokesman
in an audio message, adding that
Abu Al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
has been appointed as the new leader .
The new head of the organization is the
fourth 'caliph' of ISIS
after the killing
of the founder
and first leader of the '
Islamic State' Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in 2019,
and that of Abu Ibrahim Hashimi al Qurashi last February.
Both Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and Abu Ibrahim had been killed in
US raids in northwestern Syria
.
However, it is not clear when and where the third ISIS leader, Abu al Hassan al Hashimi al Qurashi, whose death was announced today, was killed.
The title "
Qurashi
" refers to the name of the tribe of Muhammad and to which the successor (Arabic:
khalifa", caliph
) of the same prophet of Islam must belong.
Unlike other times, Isis announced today the appointment of a successor in conjunction with the spread of the news of the death of his predecessor, thus leaving no room for interpretations on possible power struggles at the top of the organization.
