The extremist group, which once claimed large swaths of Syria and Iraq, continues to carry out random attacks.
A witness claims that the commander of the so-called Islamic State blew himself up in Syria after he and his aides were encircled.
Mid-October, according to the US military, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi was killed in an operation conducted by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Jasem in the northeastern Deraa province.
IS confirmed Al-death Quraishi and a replacement on Wednesday, more than a month later.
The extremist group, which once claimed large swaths of Syria and Iraq, continues to carry out random attacks.
“The leader and a companion detonated suicide vests after our fighters successfully stormed their stronghold,” said Salem al Horani, a Jasem resident and former fighter who participated in the siege of the three houses where the IS cell was uncovered.
Following peace accords negotiated by Russia in 2018 that returned the authority of southern Syria to Damascus, the Syrian army assumed control of Deraa province.
The FSA had received help from Western and Gulf powers until they discontinued support in 2018. However, its fighters remained in the region after reconciliation agreements enabled them to retain light armaments while surrendering heavy weapons.
IS spokesperson Omar al-Muhajir stated that Al-Qurayshi “died battling God’s enemies.”
Al-Qurayshi is the third leader to be eliminated after founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by an American raid in October 2019 in the northwest.
Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi has been named the new leader of the group, according to Al-Muhajir.
It is thought that none of the al-Qurayshis are related. Al-Qurayshi is not their genuine name but is derived from Quraish, the tribe to which Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, belonged.
IS claims its leaders are from this tribe, and “al-Qurayshi” is part of the nom de guerre of an IS leader.
Where currently is the Islamic State?
IS arose from the instability of the Iraqi civil war and expanded to cover vast parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
It was famed for its cruel rule, during which thousands of people were killed and executed, and for sponsoring terror activities internationally.
Former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed an Islamic caliphate and proclaimed himself caliph of all Muslims from a mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014.
However, its rule in Iraq ended in 2017, and in Syria two years later.
The group and its affiliates continue to conduct lethal attacks, including on formerly caliphate-claimed territory.
This month, IS militants attacked an Iraqi army position in the governorate of Kirkuk’s northeastern region, killing four troops.
At least ten pupils were killed Wednesday when a bomb exploded at a religious school in northern Afghanistan, according to a Taliban official.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack occurred amid an escalating campaign of brutality by IS’s Afghan offshoot since the Taliban came to power.
