The most recent leader of ISIS, Abu Hasan al Hashimi al Qurashi, has been killed in battle and the group has appointed a successor.
An ISIS spokesperson said on Wednesday that Abu Hasan was killed “in combat with enemies of God,” according to Al-Arabiya News. The spokesperson identified Abu al Hussein al Husseini al Qurashi as the group’s new leader.
“It was not a result of any U.S. action,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday, while U.S. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby welcomed the news of his death hours earlier.
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“We have seen that announcement, we certainly welcome the news of the death of another ISIS leader,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I don’t have any additional operational details to provide at this time. We’re still working our way through that.”
“The death of Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in mid-October is another blow to ISIS,” Col. Joe Buccino, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement. “This operation was conducted by The Free Syrian Army in Dar’a province in Syria. ISIS remains a threat to the region. CENTCOM and our partners remain focused on the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
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Abu Hasan is the second ISIS leader to be killed this year. He assumed leadership of the group following the death of his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al Qurayshi, who was killed during a U.S. raid in February in northwest Syria. Abu Hasan is the third leader killed since its founder Abu Bakr al Baghdadi was killed by Americans in a raid in October 2019.
