


ISIS says it has a new leader less than a week after US raid that left Baghdadi dead

ISIS on Thursday announced it has a new leader as it confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who blew himself up amid a US-led raid on a compound in Syria's Idlib province over the weekend.

Baghdadi's successor is Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, according to Site Intel Group, which tracks the online activities of extremist groups like ISIS. This is a nom de guerre, according to top analysts, and signals that the new leader is indicating he's descended from the Qurayshi tribe of the Prophet Muhammad.

Baghdadi also claimed to be descended from this tribe in order to establish his legitimacy as "caliph" or leader of the Islamic world. ISIS is referring to Baghdadi's successor as the "caliph" as well.

ISIS also confirmed that its spokesperson, Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, was killed in a separate, subsequent US strike that was conducted after the Baghdadi raid. A man identified as Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi is ISIS's new spokesperson, according to Thursday's announcement.

This announcement came several days after President Donald Trump on Sunday spent nearly an hour speaking about the Baghdadi operation in a celebratory and self-congratulatory fashion.

Trump's remarks on the Baghdadi raid have sparked criticism, as the vivid details he provided seemingly revealed classified information. The president also appeared to have made false claims about the operation, including that the ISIS leader was "whimpering," that's left US officials scratching their heads as to where he got such info.


ISIS's announcement on Thursday warned the US against rejoicing in Baghdadi's death.