Islamic State leader killed in Free Syrian Army operation in mid-October- U.S

2022-12-01

ISIL (ISIS) armed group defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later [File: Reuters]

Islamic State (IS) militant leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an operation carried out by the rebel Free Syrian Army in mid-October in Syria's Daraa province, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, another heavy blow to a group that once struck fear across the Middle East.

No U.S. military troops were involved in the operation, a U.S. military spokesperson said.

a spokesperson for the Islamic State, in an audio message posted on an affiliated Telegram channel, had said that leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in fighting.

IS has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader, the spokesman added. He said Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed while "fighting enemies of God", without elaborating.

No details about the new IS leader were given in the audio.

The spokesman urged Islamic State members in all countries to pledge allegiance to the new leader, adding that "he is one of the loyal sons of the (Islamic) state".

The White House welcomed the news that Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi had been killed, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/islamic-state-says-its-leader-killed-appoints-successor-audio-message-2022-11-30/