Islamic State Leader Blew Himself Up After Being Discovered in Secret Hideout

The leader of the Islamic State blew himself up last month in an operation carried out by the rebel Free Syrian Army in Daraa province in southwest Syria. Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, who had led the Islamist ISIS since March, killed himself and his aides using a suicide belt after they were discovered in a secret hideout in a house in the town of Jasem. His death while fighting “the enemies of God” was announced on a Telegram channel affiliated with the terror organization, which also announced his successor – named as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, though this is not his real name and therefore his background and nationality are unknown. The new Islamic State leader was described as a “veteran mujahidin.” The US Central Command confirmed in a statement that Quraishi was killed in mid-October and that no US troops were involved in the operation. “We welcome the announcement that another leader of [Islamic State] is no longer walking the face of the earth,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The group is believed to have between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, based mostly in rural areas. They continue to carry out attacks.