Syria

Islamic State Group Confirms Leader's Death

AUG 3 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

On Thursday, the Islamic State group (IS) confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, and named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as his successor.
Al Jazeera
Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi took over as group leader in November 2022 after his predecessor was killed in Syria.
The Jerusalem Post
In a statement, ISIS said al-Quraishi had been killed in "direct clashes" in rebel-held northwestern Syria. The battles were allegedly against the Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham organization.
Shafaq News
The announcement was the militant group's first official communication on the leader's fate since Turkish Pres. Erdoğan announced the killing earlier this year.
TVP World
Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is the group's fifth leader since its inception. However, IS didn't provide any details about its new leader.
Al Jazeera
IS, which once controlled a third of Iraq and Syria, peaked in 2014 when it declared the territory it controlled a caliphate. Though the caliphate was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, cells continue to carry out attacks in both countries.
The Jerusalem Post

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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The Spin

Narrative A

While it no longer controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria, IS remains a threat and continues terrorizing volatile parts of the Middle East. The group still plans to free significant numbers of its troops from Syrian prisons. The danger it poses shouldn't be underestimated.

Sky News

Narrative B

Today, IS has few fighters across Iraq and Syria and cannot mount large-scale attacks in either country. Instead, its threat is overshadowed by that of its franchise affiliates in Afghanistan and parts of Africa. Refocusing on the new threat area is needed.

Council on Foreign Relations