Arab reports that Abdullah Kardash, who inherited former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was arrested by Iraqi security forces

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According to Arab reports, Iraqi security forces announced Wednesday that the new ISIS leader, Abd al-Nasser Kardash, had been captured. Kardash was appointed a few months ago to the successor of the former custom, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was eliminated by the Americans in Syria. 

Kardash, also known as Hajj Abdullah al-Jafari, was born in Tel-Ofer, a town with a Sunni majority in Iraq. During the reign of tyrant Saddam Hussein, he joined the army and later became an officer. During his life he used different names to hide his identity. 

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According to Arab reports, in 2003, Kardash was banned from membership of al-Qaeda. Whoever is the leader of ISIS, Al-Baghdadi, knew the former officer during their stay together at the Buka prison. This is a facility run by United States forces after taking over Iraq. 

Upon his release from prison, Kardash began serving as a Qadi in the al-Qaeda General Sharia Court. At the time of the global al-Qaeda split, he joined ISIS under the command of his friend from prison. Now, after al-Baghdadi's death, Kardash has allegedly become the top figure in the terrorist organization. However, little is known about his whereabouts.

According to a report in the Guardian in January, Kardash, who also identified himself as Salibi, was appointed to the post just hours after al-Baghdadi's assassination. The name ISIS initially published, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashmi, was probably another nickname or name intended to mislead Western intelligence agencies, who did not know him.