ISIS leader killed during US operations
Date: 05 February 2022 Tags: MiscellaneousIssue
ISIS chief Abu Ibrahim al-Quraishi, blew himself up during a US special forces operations in Syria.
Background
Quraishi led Islamic State from the shadows for a little over two years. He was a religious scholar and former soldier in Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s army.
Details
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Quraishi was an important leader in Islamic State’s precursor, the Islamic State of Iraq. It was formed after US toppled Saddam Hussein.
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He was named the leader of the group after former chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a US operation in 2019 in Syria.
Growth
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Quraishi was born in 1976 in Muhallabiya, west of Mosul. He completed Islamic studies at university in Mosul.
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He gained experience in security and military doctrine after becoming a member of jihadist groups.
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He was the main force behind 2014 genocide of minority Yazidis in northern Iraq. He tried to expand Islamic State branches from Africa to Afghanistan.
Participation in radicalism
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He first joined insurgency after US invasion of Iraq in 2003-2004. He climbed up the ladder to become an important member of the organisation.
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He was once detained by US army in Camp Bucca, where al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq were being held.
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After disbanding of Iraqi army, Quraishi and other military commanders crossed over to Syria to join ISIS.
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His title was indicative that he traced his lineage to Prophet Mohammad, which gave him religious clout among fellow jihadists.