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Key Islamic State Affiliate Appears to Back New Leader

Jeff Seldin

   The reign of new Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
   is getting a boost, thanks to the apparent endorsement of one of the
   terror group's more influential affiliates.

   IS media officials Tuesday released photos of fighters with
   IS-Khorasan, the affiliate in Afghanistan, giving bay'ah (oath of
   allegiance) to Qurashi.

     BREAKING: [1]#ISIS [2]#Khorasan pledges Bay'ah to new leader Abu
     Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-[3]#Qurashi, per photos being distributed by
     ISIS media channels
     ... courtesy of [4]@JihadoScope [5]pic.twitter.com/LDICBD932O
     -- Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) [6]November 5, 2019

   According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist
   communications, the series of 16 photos appears to show several groups
   of fighters, from different locations, carrying IS banners and raising
   their fists or their guns as they pledge their loyalty.

   "Their message seems to be that it's business as usual and that nothing
   has changed except for their leader," said Raphael Gluck, co-founder of
   Jihadoscope, another company that monitors online activity by Islamist
   extremists.

   "They want to show they can mobilize and fast, and that the caliphate
   is still there," he said.

   Afghanistan affiliate

   IS-Khorasan has been of the most resilient of the IS affiliates,
   surviving repeated attempts by U.S. and Afghan forces to annihilate its
   leadership and fighters.

   At one point, in April 2017, the United States dropped the largest
   non-nuclear bomb in its arsenal -- a GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast
   -- on an IS cave and tunnel system in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province
   to little avail.

   But rather than shrink, U.S. officials say IS-Khorasan gained ground,
   now boasting as many as 5,000 fighters across the country.
   

References

   Visible links
   1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISIS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Khorasan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qurashi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://twitter.com/JihadoScope?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   5. https://t.co/LDICBD932O
   6. https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1191757840697974784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

   Hidden links:
   7. file://localhost/south-central-asia/islamic-state-afghanistan-growing-bigger-more-dangerous

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