The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) confirmed this Thursday in a statement the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, whose death was announced in early February by the United Statesand named successor Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi.
The IS jihadists “assured their allegiance to Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, emir of the believers and caliph of the Muslims,” the group’s spokesman said in an audio recording, confirming the death of the former IS chief.
Abu Ibrahim Al Qurashi blew himself up with an explosive belt in early February happened during a US operation in Syria, according to US sources.
The US operation, in the Syrian region of Idlib, came days after the Islamic State launched its biggest offensive in years against a Kurdish-run prison in the city of Hassake, in which numerous jihadists were imprisoned
In October 2019, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, Qurashi’s predecessor at the head of IS, had also been eliminated in an attack in the Idlib region, largely controlled by jihadists and rebels.
Qurashi, an Iraqi national, then headed the Islamic State group, responsible for numerous atrocities and attacks in the Middle East and in several Western countries.
The “Caliphate” of the Islamic State
Little is known so far about the new IS chief, except that until now he held the position of number three in the jihadist movement.
Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi arrives at the IS leadership at a time when the group appears weakened by the US-backed operations in Iraq and Syria to stem a jihadist resurgence.
In its time of greatest territorial expansion, the Islamic State self-proclaimed a caliphate that extended over large areas of Iraq and Syria, two bordering countries, and in which they came to administer millions of inhabitants.
In those territories, IS imposed a rigid application of Islamic law, persecuting minorities and perpetrating numerous human rights violationsaccording to various NGOs and Western governments
After a long and bloody military campaign, with the support of the international anti-jihadist coalition led by the United States, and on land led by Syrian Kurds and Brachy forces, the jihadists were definitively defeated in March 2019 in the main enclaves of their “caliphate”. ”.
The remnants of the IS militants were mostly scattered in hideouts in the Syrian desert, from where they have returned to commit attacks against Kurdish or Syrian forces.
According to a UN report released last year, an estimated 10,000 Islamic State group fighters are still active in Iraq and Syria. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
