Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi: Jihadist in terror juggernaut killed by US forces

The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and a senior IS subordinate was killed in a US strike in northern Syria, according to Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby. Following a shootout, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb in his bunker, killing himself and his family. The nighttime US raid in Syria was disclosed by President Joe Biden on February 3. 

Biden stated that Qurayshi's assassination "removed a major terrorist threat to the world." However, US officials did not name the other IS deputy who was killed, but they did provide details about the operation, which had been planned for months.

Who was Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi?

Following the death of his predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a fearsome terrorist known as "the Destroyer" - also known as Hajji Abdullah, Amir Mohammed Said Abdul Rahman al-Mawla, and Abdullah Qardash - became IS leader in 2019. Qurayshi was residing with his family on the second floor of residential property in Atmeh from where he ran IS, using couriers to deliver his orders in Syria and overseas, according to intelligence assessments.

Qurayshi is said to have been nurtured for the post and kept away from the combat in preparation of seizing the baton, despite the terror group announcing his elevation to the top four, days after Baghdadi's death in October. For nearly two decades, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was a key figure in the terror juggernaut that became ISIS. The 46-year-old jihadist had a hand in almost every aspect of the insurgency, from assassin to prisoner, thinker to leader.

Key player behind Yazidi genocide

He was a prominent player in the Yazidi genocide, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of males and the captivity of women and girls in the mid-2010s. He was a key figure in the mid-2014 overthrow of Mosul, whose success paralysed a region and the armies of two nations. He also orchestrated mass executions of Shia civilians and security personnel. Qurayshi, like many IS leaders, served in Saddam Hussein's military, rising through the ranks to become an officer and, by definition, a Ba'ath party member -- an unexpected stop for someone regarded as ideological during his time at Mosul University, where he studied sharia law.

He met his predecessor as IS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at US prison Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. On his release, Qurayshi, like the rest of the Bucca graduates, polished his abilities in the back rooms of Iraq's towns and cities. They finally became a fertile ground for an insurgency that had never been seen before in modern history. He had risen to become one of Baghdadi's most trusted aides by the time Mosul fell, along with a few other seasoned hands who helped influence the path of the fight in both Iraq and Syria.

US announced $10 million rewards for information about Qurayshi

When IS declared Qurayshi as Baghdadi's replacement after the latter was killed by US special operations, western intelligence services were unfamiliar with the name. It took them several months to connect the surname Salbi to the person. Despite this, the new moniker remained, and he became one of the world's most sought men for the next two years. A $10 million reward had been offered by US officials for information about the veteran extremist.

Qurayshi was initially supposed to be sheltering around Mosul, which was familiar territory to a local, but by Christmas, it was evident that he was in Syria, where another key IS members, including Baghdadi, had found refuge. Further, Qurayshi detonated an explosive device on the third floor of the house as the US raid in Syria unfolded, killing himself, his wife, and two children. It was termed by President Joe Biden as a final act of cowardice. Kirby said Qurashi was later identified via fingerprints and DNA tests. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP