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This house in Atma was destroyed during the US operation against Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi
Photo: Yahya Nemah/EPA
The terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) has confirmed the death of its previous leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
According to an audio message from the jihadists, he was killed along with the official IS spokesman Abu Hamsa.
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was appointed as the new leader.
This was in line with the wishes of his predecessor.
Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi was killed in a US military operation in north-west Syria in early February.
US President Joe Biden said at the time that he blew himself up to avoid being held accountable for his actions.
After the death of longtime IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis in autumn 2019, he became the head of the jihadists.
However, little was known about him in public.
He is said to have been one of those primarily responsible for the genocide of the Yazidi religious minority in north-west Iraq.
IS announces retaliation
In the new audio message, IS also announced retaliation for the death of their leader.
The authenticity of the message could not initially be verified.
However, it was spread through the extremists' usual social media channels.
For years, the IS had controlled large areas in Iraq and in the neighboring civil war country Syria.
In the summer of 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis proclaimed a »caliphate« there.
In the meantime, the extremists have lost their dominion again.
In spring 2019, troops led by Kurds captured the last IS stronghold in Syria.
However, IS cells are still active in both countries.
Observers have long been warning of a resurgence of the jihadists.
Last January, IS fighters attacked a prison in the Kurdish-controlled city of Al-Hassaka in northeastern Syria in an attempt to free imprisoned terrorist militia supporters.
According to activists, more than 300 people were killed in days of fighting with Kurdish security forces.
The attack was one of the heaviest IS attacks in Syria in years.
