Abu_al-Hussein_al-Husseini_al-Qurashi

Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi

Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi

Islamic State leader from 2022 to 2023

Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (Arabic: أبو الحسين الحسيني القرشي, romanized: Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Husaynī al-Qurashī; died 29 April 2023) was the fourth caliph[lower-alpha 1] of the Islamic State and allegedly the first Syrian to serve as caliph.[6] He took office on 30 November 2022.

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Life

Rise to power

According to Turkish claims, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini joined the Islamic State in early 2013.[7] He took over leadership after the death of the previous leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. He was announced as caliph by Islamic State's official spokesmen Abu Umar al-Muhajir in an audio message broadcast by Al-Furqan Media foundation (Islamic State's primary media).[8][9]

Abu al-Hussein was described as a veteran of Islamic State and a loyal member of the group.[10] In January 2023, a prominent dissident anti-IS leadership channel alleged that Abu al-Hussein was Iraqi like his predecessors and was appointed by a shura council led by Abdul Raouf al-Muhajir,[11][12] emir of Islamic State's administration.[13]

Leader of the Islamic State

Places from where pledges of allegiance have been documented by Islamic State official media to Abu al Hussein.[14]

By 19 January 2023, Abu al-Hussein had received pledges from all Islamic State provinces,[15][16] and also from Islamic State supporters in around 40 countries.[17] He also received some pledges of support from outside people who were not previously part of the group.[18][19]

As of April, according to an Iraqi security official, Iraqi, Turkish and American intelligence agencies were cooperating with each other to identify Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini.[20]

Alleged death reports

On 27 February 2023, Iraqi media reported the killing of Abu al-Hussein in an operation by the Iraqi Army in the desert of Anbar,[21] but these reports were not confirmed by Iraqi military officials.

In June 2023, British tabloid the Daily Mirror claimed that Abu al-Hussein was possibly among 5 IS leaders who were reportedly killed in an Iraqi/UK airstrike in the Hamrin region of Iraq, but the report was not confirmed by any other sources and the eventual confirmation of Abu al-Hussein's death said he was killed in Syria, not Iraq.[22]

Death

Pictures of house where Abu Al-Husayn was killed and his remains (blurred) after the alleged HTS raid

On 30 April 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization had allegedly tracked down and killed Abu al-Hussein the previous day, on 29 April.[23][24]

Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported that the operation occurred at Jindires, in a region controlled by Turkish-backed rebel groups, in which Abu al-Hussein detonated his suicide vest to avoid being captured.[7] The United States said it had no information to verify Turkey's claims.[25]

On 15 May 2023, a statement attributed to the Islamic State that denied the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini in the Turkish operation was circulating in the Al-Hawl refugee camp, but the statement turned out to be a forgery.[26]

On 3 August 2023, the Islamic State's official spokesman Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari announced the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi.[1] The spokesman claimed he was killed in direct clashes with the HTS group in Idlib province in rebel-held northwestern Syria and accused HTS of acting as agents of Turkish intelligence.[1][27] The message also named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as Abu al-Hussein's successor and caliph of the Islamic State.[28]

On 4 August, HTS in an official statement denied Islamic State's claim that they killed Abu al-Hussein.[29] However, United States officials agreed that HTS was behind the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi.[30]

Notes

  1. The Islamic State describes itself as a caliphate[2] and its leader as a caliph, but this is not accepted by the vast majority of Muslims, and is disputed by multiple Muslim scholars and authors.[3][4][5]

References

  1. [1]
    "Islamic State confirms death of its leader, names replacement". Reuters. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. [2]
    "ISIS Spokesman Declares Caliphate, Rebrands Group as Islamic State". Jihadist News. SITE Intelligence Group. 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  3. [3]
    Yusuf al-Qaradawi stated: "[The] declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under sharia and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and for the revolt in Syria", adding that the title of caliph can "only be given by the entire Muslim nation", not by a single group. Strange, Hannah (5 July 2014). "Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addresses Muslims in Mosul". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  4. [4]
    Bunzel, Cole (27 November 2019). "Caliph Incognito: The Ridicule of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi". www.jihadica.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. [5]
    Hamid, Shadi (1 November 2016). "What a caliphate really is—and how the Islamic State is not one". Brookings. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. [6]
    [g] A July 2023 report by the U.N. Monitoring Team tracking the global jihadi threat stated the following: “On 30 April, Türkiye reported killing ISIL leader, Abu al-Husain al-Husaini al-Qurashi, in Afrin, subsequently identifying him as a Syrian-born individual, holding the alias of Abdul-Latif. https://ctc.westpoint.edu/caliphs-of-the-shadows-the-islamic-states-leaders-post-mawla
  7. [7]
    "Turkey offers details of Islamic State chief's death". France 24. 1 May 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Islamic State leader Abu Hasan al-Qurashi killed, names successor". Hindustan Times. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  9. [9]
    Kourdi, Eyad (30 November 2022). "ISIS acknowledges the death of its leader, announces his successor". CNN.
  10. [10]
    Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (2 December 2022). ""So They Kill or Are Killed"- Islamic State Speech Announcing Death of Leader and Appointment of Successor". aymennaltamimi.substack.com.
  11. [11]
    Tore Refslund Hamming [@ToreRHamming] (4 January 2023). "Abd al-Raouf al-Muhajir was elected new amir of idarat al-'ammat al-wilayat on 24 June 2020, taking over after the death of Abu Sa'ad al-Shimali https://t.co/7TqBQCfZtj" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. [12]
    Tore Refslund Hamming [@ToreRHamming] (4 January 2023). "Arguably the most important leader within the Islamic State. IS supporters are once again sharing an image of Abu Jassim Salman aka Abd al-Raouf al-Muhajir, who is believed to be amir of the General Administration of Provinces that by and large replaced the delegrated committee https://t.co/WhZ9WRRz2n" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. [13]
    "صانع الملوك لن يسمح عبد الرؤوف المهاجر (أبو سارة العراقي) ان يسلم منصب "الخليفة"". TamTam. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  14. [14]
    Journalist Rafhaan [@rafhaan08] (15 December 2022). "Updated https://t.co/SGMhXWMZm6" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  15. [15]
    "The Islamic State's Third Bayat Campaign".
  16. [16]
    "How the Targeted Killing of ISIS Leaders Revives the Terror Group's Ideology – HS Today". 15 January 2023.
  17. [17]
    Criezis, Meili. "Soliciting Online Bayʿat: Pro-Islamic State Responses to Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi's Death". Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  18. [18]
    jihadoScope [@JihadoScope] (12 January 2023). "Salafi influencer with tens of thousands of followers on social media & on run from Saudi authorities, surfaces in Yemen, releasing video pledging allegiance to ISIS. Tells supporters to watch/listen to Islamic State, underlines potency of jihadist outreach online" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  19. [19]
    "#SaudiArabia One of the mosque preachers in #Riyadh declares in front of the worshipers his loyalty to the current IS leader Abu Al-Husayn".
  20. [20]
    "تحديد هوية زعيم "داعش" الجديد مهمة استخبارية صعبة". Al Araby (in Arabic). 11 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  21. [21]
    "أنباء عن مقتل زعيم داعش بعملية عسكرية في صحراء الأنبار". 26 February 2023.
  22. [22]
    Hughes, Chris (28 June 2023). "Islamic State leader 'killed in airstrike' as special forces bomb Iraq hideout". mirror. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  23. [23]
    "Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: MİT, DEAŞ'ın sözde liderini etkisiz hale getirdi" [President Erdoğan: The so-called leader of the terrorist organization DAESH was neutralized by the operation carried out by the MIT in Syria.]. TRT Haber (in Turkish). 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  24. [24]
    "Suspected Islamic State chief Qurayshi killed in Syria, Turkey says". BBC News. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  25. [25]
    "US Not Backing Turkish Claims Islamic State Leader is Dead". Voice of America News. 1 May 2023.
  26. [26]
    "(Photo) Alleged Islamic State (IS) Document Denying the Death of Caliph Abu al-Hussain al-Hussaini al-Qurashi is Being Distributed at al-Hol, al-Hasakah Province, Syria - 15 May 2023". TRAC. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  27. [27]
    "ISIL confirms death of leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, names successor". Al Jazeera. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  28. [28]
    "ISIL confirms death of leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, names successor". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  29. [29]
    @azelin (4 August 2023). "HTS disputing IS's claim that the group killed IS's recent leader Abu al-Husayn al-Husayni" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. [30]
    "US officials challenge Turkey's claim to have killed Islamic State leader". Al-Monitor. 16 August 2023.
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