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US to Designate New Islamic State Leader as Global Terrorist

Jeff Seldin

   WASHINGTON - The United States is preparing to label the Islamic State
   terror group's new leader, introduced to the world as Abu Ibrahim
   al-Hashimial-Qurashi, as a "specially designated global terrorist."

   U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement Tuesday
   during a briefing with reporters, referring to al-QurashiasAmir
   MuhammadSa'idAbdal-Rahman al-Mawla, one of the IS leaders many aliases.

   The move comes more than a month after U.S. defense and intelligence
   officials first [1]unmasked al-Qurashi'strue identity, which IS had
   tried to keep hidden by assigning himanom-de-guerre.

   A religious scholar, al-Qurashiwas imprisoned inthe now
   infamousU.S.-run CampBuccain Iraq, starting in 2004, where he met
   former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

   Intelligence officials say he was active in IS' predecessor
   organization, al-Qaida in Iraq, and eventually became one of Baghdadi's
   most trusted deputies.

   Al-Quashi is also seen as the architect behind IS' slaughter of the
   Yazidi religious minority and oversawsome of the terror group's global
   operations.

   Intelligence officials credit him with keeping IS, also known as ISIS
   or Daesh,from falling apart following Baghdadi's death in a U.S.
   operation in October 2019. Instead, they say he hashelped make surethe
   terror group has [2]continued itsresurgence in both Iraq and Syria,
   while at the same timemaintaining the allure ofthe global IS brand.

   "ISIS supporters worldwide have rallied around the new caliph," a
   senior counterterrorism officialtold VOA in January.

   Themove to designate al-Qurashias a global terroristis,in some ways,a
   formality,but will help the U.S. to cut off al-Qurashifromsomefinancing
   and other resources.

   "We've destroyed the caliphate," Pompeo said Tuesday. "And we remain
   committed to ISIS's enduring defeat no matter who they designate as
   their leader."

   The U.S. is currently offering a $5 million [3]reward for information
   that leads to al-Qurashi'scapture.

   It is unclear whether the State Department will increase that bounty to
   the $25 millionitoffered for any information thatcould help bring
   formerIS leader Baghdadi'sto justice.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/us-officials-uncover-true-identity-new-islamic-state-leader
   2. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/islamic-state-poised-comeback-us-defense-officials-report
   3. https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/amir_al_malwa.html

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