ISIS
terrorists say they have appointed a new leader and warned America "not to
rejoice" in the killing of former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The Sunni
Muslim terrorist group acknowledged today that al-Baghdadi was killed in a US
military operation on Saturday.
In a message
from the group's new spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, ISIS warned America not
to celebrate the killing of al-Baghdadi.
It announces
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi is the group's new leader.
ISIS's
previous spokesman, Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, was also killed in a military
strike this weekend, so this statement in itself also confirms who the new
mouthpiece is for the Jihadi terrorists.
Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid
The group's
news agency Amaq released an audio tape confirming the deaths of both
figureheads and the appointment of the new leader.
Rita Katz,
director of SITE Intelligence Group, said on Twitter that the audio was from
"new official spokesman of ISIS , 'Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi."
She said the
statement "confirms Abu Hassan al-Muhajir's death, saying that he was a
Saudi" and "also confirms death of Baghdadi, announces 'Abu Ibrahim
al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi' as new leader".
SITE Intelligence
Group is an American company that tracks online activity of white supremacist
and jihadist organizations.
Rita Katz
went on: "The message warns America not to rejoice in killing of its
leadership. Asserts ISIS is not limited to Middle East and that it will
continue its mission.
"The
new message tells followers to continue to follow up on the call of Baghdadi's
last audio message (released September 2019) specifically in releasing Muslim
prisoners and to make recruitment and outreach.
"Abu
Hamza also states that killed spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir was a minister
and assistant of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"Also
states the Shura Council of ISIS, after consultation, agreed to act upon
Baghdadi's will and pledge allegiance to Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
"It was
a very short message. Essentially just confirmation of recent leadership
deaths, threatening continued presence across the world, and calling ISIS
supporters to fulfill Baghdadi's calls.
"The
speech threatens: 'America, don't you realize that the Islamic State is now at
the forefront of Europe and West Africa? It is extended from the East to the
West.'"
She added
that "as ISIS' online machine is still alive and well, we should expect to
see a campaign for this message spanning various platforms, accompanied by
pledges from across the world."
She also
said that, "as expected" the new ISIS leader is "allegedly from
the tribe of Quraysh, which the Prophet Muhammad came from."
But she said
that "the speech provides very little information about him."
Worryingly,
she writes: "For ISIS supporters, the deaths of Baghdadi and Abu Hassan
al-Muhajir were never going to change anything. As I write this, new pledges of
allegiance are already being posted across ISIS web venues.
"Based
on the reactions that are already pouring in from the ISIS community, it
appears these new developments have energized the group's supporters."
SAS troops
took part in the mission to hunt down and kill Islamic State commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday.
A small
number of men joined the US-led attack on the terror chief’s hideout in
northwest Syria after tracking him for a fortnight.
Once at the
target, two landed to dispatch soldiers
and third hovered above them with their guns
trained on the compound.
Al-Baghdadi
is said to have fled into a tunnel before setting off an explosive vest,
killing himself and three of his young children.
A US AC 130
“flying gun” and Reaper drone armed with 500lb bombs then flattened the den
after the troops had withdrawn.
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