Islamic State announces new leader and spokesman.
The third leader in 16 months.
On 3 August 2023, al-Furqan Media Foundation, the official media wing of the Islamic State (IS), which is responsible for broadcasting the messages of the central leadership, released a new audio of about 30 minutes, entitled: “So Rejoice in Your Transaction which You have Contracted”.
The speaker of the audio is Abu Hudhaifa al-Ansari1, who announces that he is the organisation's new spokesman. Abu Hudhaifa announces the death of IS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Quraysh, who was appointed caliph in May 2022. This is the third leader to die in Syria in the last sixteen months.
The spokesman announced that his death occurred in battle, in an armed clash with the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, in the area of Idlib governorate2. The spokesman, in making the announcement, accuses HTS of handing over the body of the slain leader to Turkish intelligence (“and the apostasy organisation handed over Sheikh Abu al-Hussein”) so that Erdogan could exploit the operation in propaganda and electoral terms: “the Turkish tyrant took advantage of the opportunity”.
Abu Hudhaifa also reports that his predecessor in the role of spokesman, Abu Umar al-Muhajir was captured by HTS near the site of Abu al-Hussein’s death, and is currently imprisoned. Abu Hudhaifa explained that what happened is part of the battle against traitors and apostates and that the leadership and fighters of the Islamic State are not afraid of being captured and imprisoned or of dying, as this is the path they have chosen.
The spokesman also emphasised that the organisation does not face any difficulties or problems when the death of its leader occurs, as: “The organisation is not tied to the cult or personality of any leader, and does not influence its goals, plans and actions”.
At this point, finally, Abu Hudhaifa al-Ansari announces the name of the new leader: Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraysh, giving no great details about him, except that he is a veteran of the organisation: “because your caliph is a generous imam, he is wise and has taken part in the fight against the crusaders and apostates”.
Subsequently, Abu Hudhaifa called on all IS fighters and supporters around the world to pledge allegiance to the new leader3.
The Islamic State spokesman criticises HTS claiming that this event has confirmed that al-Julani’s group has turned into a tool of the secular Turkish government and is working with it against jihadist groups, saying that they are deceived as Turkey will immediately get rid of both HTS and other Syrian groups allied with it as soon as they stop serving their interests.
The new IS spokesperson further states that the organisation is in a wait-and-see phase as far as Global Jihad is concerned, observing geopolitical and economic world events, particularly those they identify as their enemies, training, expanding, perfecting strategies and propaganda: “We observe the US and Western economies while expanding our influence in Africa, the Middle East, and Afghanistan, despite their costly attempts to prevent it. They will have to accept that their attempts to destroy us have been unsuccessful”.
The audio announcement by al-Furqan Media Foundation was then published in full a few hours later in issue 402 of the weekly al-Naba.
On the evening of 4 August, the General Security Service (GSS), the HTS security service, stated its media denying responsibility for the killing of the IS leader and that it had then collaborated with Turkey, but confirming that its mission to fight and eradicate the Islamic State ('the criminal organisation') in the areas they control will continue.
He is probably an Iraqi. In issue 402 of al-Naba he is presented with the titles of sheikh and mujahid.
According to local sources, the clash in which Abu al-Hassan was killed occurred in the vicinity of Idlib on 29 April 2023.
The last swearing-in campaign took place between March and May 2022. You can see photos and oaths here: “The propagandistic dissemination of the pledge of allegiance to the new caliph of the Islamic State”. https://danielegarofalo.substack.com/p/the-propagandistic-dissemination