Thread by @Minalami

#ISIS has confirmed the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim Al-Qurashi & spokesman Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi, and named the successor (new “caliph”) as Abu Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi. Said they can’t reveal the true identity of the new leader but urged followers to pledge allegiance

The US had announced the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi in a US operation in Idlib, Syria, on 3 Feb

So far very little, if anything, is known about the new leader. Will he, like the previous one, not be shown or heard, allegedly all for security reasons?

Worth noting that the last name, Al-Qurashi, does not indicate a relationship. The role of caliph in strict religious interpretations dictates that the incumbent be from Prophet Muhammed’s clan of Quraysh (hence al-Qurashi) that originated in Mecca

Abu Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi was named as successor in a doc that was allegedly an internal IS circular early on after Abu Ibrahim’s death (within a week). At the time it was shared on by AQ supporters. IS supporters dismissed it. Turned out to be true

Unclear if Abu al-Hasan al-Qurashi is actually someone called Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai (aka Abu Khattab al-Iraqi, Hajji Zaid and Ustath Zaid), an Iraqi national. Mainstream sources as well as Al-Qaeda supporters had earlier said he was likely the new leader

Also, i think the IS message is the first to reveal that former spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi had also died in the attack (succeeded by one Abu Omar al-Muhaji). Overall, IS did not confirm when, where or how the leaders died.

Worth noting that IS message reiterated that freeing prisoners is a priority for the group and urged followers to focus on that goal

We’ll soon see pledges of allegiance, officially from branches and unofficially from supporters and media groups, raining down on IS, in a show of ongoing unity, support and loyalty

By calling its leader a “caliph”, IS has hugely narrowed pool of candidates, and may be why it’s not revealing true IDs of leaders. In strict religious interpretations, a caliph must trace his lineage to Prophet Muhammed’s Quraysh clan & have no physical disability

There may be many or at least several jihadist figures who have militant & religious credentials to lead the group, but how many of those are likely to be a Qurashi, from the Prophet’s tribe?

IS’s jihadist detractors, namely al-Qaeda supporters, had previously taunted IS over hiding the ID of previous leader. They pointed that Abdallah Qardash (Abu Ibrahim) was an Iraqi Turkmen with amputated leg, thus couldn’t have been a Qurashi & wouldn’t have qualified as caliph

IS's jihadist critics continue to speculate that the nom de guerre Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi belongs to "notorious" Iraqi IS veteran Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidae (aka Hajji Zaid, Ustath Zaid). The Sumaidae tribe claim to trace their ancestry to Prophet Muhammad