SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Islamic State (ISIS) terror group leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an operation carried out by the rebel Free Syrian Army in mid-October in Syria’s Daraa province, according to the U.S. military on Wednesday.
No U.S. military troops were involved in the operation, a U.S. military spokesperson said.
Earlier on Wednesday a spokesperson for the Islamic State, in an audio message posted on an affiliated Telegram channel, had said that leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in fighting.
IS has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader, the spokesman added. He said Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed while “fighting enemies of God”, without elaborating.
No details about the new IS leader were given in the audio.
The White House welcomed the news that Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi had been killed, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
