Islamic State Leader Killed in Clashes with Rival Group in Northwestern Syria; New Leader Appointed

The Islamic State group has announced the death of its leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, during intense clashes in northwestern Syria against rival jihadist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in the province of Idlib. The precise date of his death, however, remains undisclosed.

Following the demise of their leader, the IS spokesperson disclosed the appointment of Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new leader, marking him as the fifth leader of the group. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had declared that the suspected IS leader, known by the codename Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, had been neutralized in Syria through an operation conducted by Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency. The Turkish media had also released images of a location in Syria’s Afrin region where the suspected leader was believed to have sought refuge.

However, the IS group refuted the Turkish account and instead accused HTS, which controls rebel-held areas in Idlib province, of assassinating their chief and subsequently handing over his body to Turkey. It’s noteworthy that HTS had not claimed responsibility for any operation targeting the IS leader.

Reports indicate that during the MIT’s operation, the IS leader detonated his suicide vest upon realizing that he was about to be captured. Fortunately, no Turkish operatives were injured during the four-hour operation.

The Islamic State experienced a series of defeats since its rapid rise in Iraq and Syria in 2014, culminating in the collapse of its self-proclaimed “caliphate” under a wave of offensives. Despite these setbacks, sleeper cells continue to carry out attacks in both Iraq and Syria. In November of the previous year, the group reported the death of its previous leader, Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, while his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, was killed during a US raid in Idlib province in February of the same year. The first “caliph” of the group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also met his demise in Idlib in October 2019.