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Islamic State group names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has for the first time confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and named his successor. | |
An IS outlet announced on the messaging service Telegram that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi was the group's new leader and "caliph". | |
US special forces tracked down Baghdadi in north-west Syria at the weekend and attacked his compound. | US special forces tracked down Baghdadi in north-west Syria at the weekend and attacked his compound. |
The IS leader fled into a tunnel and killed himself with a suicide vest. | The IS leader fled into a tunnel and killed himself with a suicide vest. |
The Iraqi had a $25m (£19m) bounty on his head and had been pursued by the US and its allies since the rise of IS five years ago. | |
IS also confirmed on Thursday the death of spokesman Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir - who was killed in a joint operation in northern Syria by US and Syrian Kurdish forces hours after the one targeting Baghdadi. The Saudi national had been considered a potential successor. | |
The new IS spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, also called on Muslims to swear allegiance to Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi. | |
Who is Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi? | Who is Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi? |
Hashemi's name is not known to security forces, and is believed to be a nom de guerre. | |
IS did not provide many details about the new leader or release a photo, but it did claim he was a veteran jihadist fighter who had fought against the West. | |
With the name "al-Qurashi", the group also made clear that he claims to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad's Quraysh tribe - something generally held by pre-modern Sunni scholars as being a key qualification for becoming a caliph. | |
Before the announcement, BBC jihadist media specialist Mina al-Lami said: "If IS chooses to appoint someone who is not a Qurashi, then perhaps it is an implicit acknowledgement that the 'caliphate' is no more." | |
What is the context? | What is the context? |
IS declared the creation of a "caliphate" - a state governed in accordance with Sharia, or Islamic law - after seizing control of huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and imposing its brutal rule on millions of civilians. | |
It proclaimed Baghdadi as "Caliph Ibrahim" and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide. | |
Despite the demise of its physical caliphate in March, IS remains a battle-hardened and well-disciplined force whose enduring defeat is not assured. | |
The group still has between 14,000 and 18,000 "members" in Iraq and Syria, including up to 3,000 foreigners, according to a recent US report. | The group still has between 14,000 and 18,000 "members" in Iraq and Syria, including up to 3,000 foreigners, according to a recent US report. |
What happened to Baghdadi? | What happened to Baghdadi? |
The day before IS released the name of its new leader, the US military made public more information about the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a raid in Syria's Idlib province early on Sunday. | |
In grainy footage, helicopters were seen firing at gunmen on the ground as they flew towards a compound where Baghdadi was hiding. | |
On landing, US special forces commandos blew holes in the walls of the compound and called on Baghdadi to surrender, the military said. But he fled into a tunnel and detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and two children he had taken with him. | |
"You can deduce what kind of person it is based on that activity," said the head of US Central Command, Gen Kenneth McKenzie. | |
After the raid, the compound was destroyed in an air strike. | |
Gen McKenzie said the destroyed buildings were left looking like "a parking lot with large potholes". | |
He added that he could not confirm President Donald Trump's graphic description of Baghdadi whimpering and crying as he died. | He added that he could not confirm President Donald Trump's graphic description of Baghdadi whimpering and crying as he died. |