Islamic State names new leader, confirms death of predecessor

BEIRUT - The extremist militia organisation Islamic State (IS) announced on Thursday the name of its new head and confirmed the death of its former leader, reported German news agency (dpa).

Former leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi was killed in "direct clashes" with extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria's Idlib province, an IS spokesman said in an audio message on Telegram on Thursday.

He described Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as an extended arm of the Turkish intelligence service.

The spokesman said Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi is the militia's new leader, making him the fifth leader of the IS.

He added that the movement's spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer was detained by Turkish authorities during the clashes.

The authenticity of the message could not be verified, but it was spread through the extremists' usual social media channels.

The IS had appointed Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as a leader last November.

Until his now-declared death, he remained a faceless and mysterious figure as the head of the terrorist militia. For example, the IS did not publish any audio messages from him.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in April that the Turkish Secret Service had "neutralised" Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi during a mission in Syria. That probably meant killing him.

In the IS’ audio message, Erdoğan's portrayal was now described as a "lie" and fake news.

Turkiye occupies large areas in northern Syria and regularly carries out military attacks, primarily against the Syrian-Kurdish militia YPG.

For years, the IS controlled a large swathe of territory in Iraq and neighbouring war-torn Syria.

The extremist militia has been declared militarily defeated in both countries, but it remains active and has repeatedly carried out attacks there. - BERNAMA