Newsweek Reveals Name of Likely Successor to Dead Islamic State Group’s Leader
Back-to-back U.S. operations Saturday and Sunday have resulted in the deaths of Islamic State militant group (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and spokesperson Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir in Syria, but the organization has already designated a successor, Newsweek has learned.
Abdullah Qardash, sometimes spelled Kardesh and also known as Hajji Abdullah al-Afari, was said to have been nominated by Baghdadi in August to run the group's "Muslim affairs" in a widely-circulated statement attributed to ISIS' official Amaq news outlet, but never publicly endorsed by the group. Though little is known about the former Iraqi military officer who once served under late leader Saddam Hussein, one regional intelligence official asking not to be identified by name or nation told Newsweek that Qardash would have taken over Baghdadi's role—though it had lost much of its significance by the time of his demise.
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- Isis Founding Member Confirmed by Spies as Group's New Leader He is also known by the nom de guerre Haji Abdullah, and in some circles as Abdullah Qardash – although Iraqi officials suggest the latter was a separate Isis figure who died two years ago.
- Turkey Begins Deportation Of Captive Foreign Islamic State Terrorists To Their Home Countries The issue of the handling of Daesh/ISIS members and their families detained in Syria -- including foreign members of the terror group -- has been controversial, with Turkey arguing foreign-born terrorists...
- US Knows 'Almost Nothing' about New ISIS Leader The announcement of the new leader came in an audio message released last week by a new ISIS spokesperson, after Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, the spokesperson and right-hand man to Baghdadi, was also killed,...
- Erdogan Says Turkey has Captured Baghdadi's Wife A senior Turkish official said earlier this week that Turkey had captured Baghdadi’s sister, her husband and daughter.
- Trump: ISIS is 'Totally under control' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to a 120-hour ceasefire in northern Syria following a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.
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