Islamic State names new leader

The Islamic State named Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi as its new leader on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Former Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi died in early February during a raid by U.S. special forces. His death was confirmed by the Islamic State Thursday in the announcement.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi blew up himself, his wife, his children and others during the raid in Syria, President Biden announced after the operation, calling it a “final act of desperate cowardice.”

“Last night, operating on my order, the United States military forces successfully removed a major terrorist threat to the world, the global leader of ISIS,” said Biden at the time, using another common name for the group. “This horrible terrorist leader is no more.”

There were no American casualties as a result of the operation, which occurred in Atmeh, Syria, near its border with Turkey. The U.S. military destroyed one helicopter in the operation due to mechanical issues.

An Islamic State lieutenant was also killed during the raid in a firefight with U.S. forces.

The leader of Islamic State prior to Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died by suicide during a similar raid in Syria in late 2019, a little more than two years before the 2022 raid.