Islamic State leader dies eight months after taking office in clash with Turkish operatives

“He accepted the assignment and assumed power,” the spokesman said, adding that the leader of the terrorist organization died “in a direct confrontation” with “Turkish Intelligence agents” in a village on the outskirts of Idlib, in northwestern Syria.

Turkish intelligence tried to “capture” him, but Al Qurashi “facing them with his weapon until he died from his wounds,” according to the audio, which does not specify when the events occurred.

The fourth 'caliph' since 2019

No details, not even his face, have been disclosed of the late IS leader since his appointment in November 2022, while the true identity of his successor, who also uses a nickname, is also unknown.

This is the fourth leader of the Islamic State since the death in 2019 of the first 'caliph' of IS, Abu Bakr al Bagdadi, in a US operation.

On the other hand, the organization also indicated that its previous spokesman, Abu Omar al Muhager, was “captured” by Turkish intelligence.

On April 30, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced in an interview that the Turkish secret services (MIT) had killed Al Qurashi after following him “for a long time”, but did not offer details about the operation.

Since the death of Al Baghdadi, the leaders of the Islamic State have been nicknamed Al Qurashi, in reference to the tribe of Quraish (or Quraishites, in Spanish), to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged, and that the last two leaders have used to give legitimacy.