02-03-2022, 04:37 PM
Good riddance, and he can roast in Hell!
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi[4][a] (Arabic: أبو إبراهيم الهاشمي القرشي;[7] born Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla;[2][b] 1 or 5 October 1976 – 3 February 2022) was an Iraqi Salafist and the second leader[note 1][11] of the Islamic State. His appointment by a shura council was announced by the Islamic State media on 31 October 2019, less than a week after the death of previous leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[12]
The U.S. Rewards for Justice Program was offering up to $10 million in exchange for information leading to al-Qurashi's apprehension.[13] On 3 February 2022, it was reported by a US official that al-Hashimi killed himself and members of his family by triggering an explosive device during a counter-terrorism raid by the US Joint Special Operations Command.[14][15]
Less than a week after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Hashimi was elected by a shura council as the new caliph of the Islamic State,[31] indicating that the group still considers itself a caliphate despite having lost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria.[32] Al-Hashimi's appointment was supposedly done in accordance with the advice of Baghdadi, meaning the new emir was named as a successor by Baghdadi himself.[33] Further evidence that al-Hashimi may have been appointed as successor by Baghdadi may be inferred from the relatively quick succession of Baghdadi.[5] Al-Hashimi's coming to power followed several days of speculation and denial surrounding Baghdadi's death among the Islamic State supporters.[34]
The general expectation was that al-Hashimi would become "the leader of a frayed organisation that has been reduced to scattered sleeper cells"[35] and the ruler of a "caliphate of ashes".[5] Some analysts believed that Baghdadi's death would likely cause the Islamic State to splinter, "leaving whoever emerges as its new leader with the task of pulling the group back together as a fighting force".[31] However, other analysts believed that Baghdadi's death would not have much of an impact on the Islamic State "in terms of operational capacity" and that it was likely "not to result in the group’s demise, or really even bring about a decline".[36]
On 2–3 November 2019, al-Hashimi's caliphacy was criticized as illegitimate by the al-Wafa' Media Agency, an online media outlet previously aligned with the Islamic State before turning against it in March 2019. It was argued that "the Prophet decreed obedience to leaders who exist and who are known … not obedience to a nonentity or an unknown". Further, it was argued that the council which elected al-Hashimi did not qualify as legitimate since it lacked three qualifications for the caliph's electors: justice, knowledge, and wisdom – which the council lacked, since it had sent Baghdadi to Idlib, which had earlier been deemed by them a "land of unbelief", when he "would have been much safer hiding in the desert". Further disqualifying the council was the fact that the council had "shed innocent Muslim blood and embraced extremism in the practice of excommunication" (takfir). As a final note, the al-Wafa' Media Agency stated that nothing was left for a would-be caliph to preside over – "You do not recognize that God has destroyed your state on account of your oppression."[9]
In 2019, al-Hashimi received pledges of allegiance from the Islamic State's Sinai province and Bangladeshi affiliates (2 November), Somali province (3 November), Pakistani province and Yemen province (4 November), Hauran province and Khorasan Province (5 November), Tunisia province (6 November), West Africa province, Levant Province – Homs, Levant Province – al-Khayr, Levant Province – Raqqa, East Asia Province and Central Africa Province (7 November), West Asia Province (8 November), West Africa Province – Mali and Burkina Faso and Levant Province - al-Barakah (9 November), Levant Province – Halab (12 November), Iraq Province – Baghdad (14 November), Libya Province (15 November), Iraq Province – Dijlah (16 November), Iraq Province – Diyala (17 November), Iraq Province – Salah al-Din (18 November), Iraq Province – Kirkuk (19 November), East Asia Province – Indonesia (22 November), Azerbaijani affiliates (29 November),[37] and in 2020 from the Islamic State's Malian affiliates (31 January).[38] These pledges of allegiance appeared to be intended to illustrate the legitimacy and unanimous acceptance of al-Hashimi, to counter criticism that he was unknown and illegitimate.[9]
Following an attack on the Tajikistan–Uzbekistan border that killed 17 people on 7 November, the attackers declared allegiance to al-Hashimi prior to the attack, according to journalist Rukmini Callimachi.[39]
On 23 December 2019, Voice of America commented that al-Hashimi had "not provided visible leadership".[23] In contrast, the United Nations Security Council judged in January 2020 that the Islamic State had undergone a resurgence in Iraq and Syria. Though these successes were partially attributed to al-Qurashi's leadership, he still remained a shadowy figure. The UN Security Council suggested that the Islamic State feared that al-Hashimi lacked some credentials that were usually necessary for a caliph, and kept him out of the spotlight so as to not endanger his position.[29]
On 24 March 2020, the United States Department of State designated al-Hashimi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224.[40][41]
On 20 May 2020, the Iraqi Intelligence Service identified a captured militant as al-Hashimi; however, the military clarified that this was actually Abdul Nasser Qardash, a potential successor to al-Baghdadi. Al-Hashimi, the leader of the Islamic State, was still outside Iraqi custody at the time.[42]
On 3 February 2022, United States President Joe Biden announced that U.S. military forces successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation in northwest Syria, resulting in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.[14] A senior White House official stated to Reuters that al-Qurashi exploded a bomb which killed himself and 12 more people, including members of his family, during the Joint Special Operations Command operation.[15]
S
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi[4][a] (Arabic: أبو إبراهيم الهاشمي القرشي;[7] born Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla;[2][b] 1 or 5 October 1976 – 3 February 2022) was an Iraqi Salafist and the second leader[note 1][11] of the Islamic State. His appointment by a shura council was announced by the Islamic State media on 31 October 2019, less than a week after the death of previous leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[12]
The U.S. Rewards for Justice Program was offering up to $10 million in exchange for information leading to al-Qurashi's apprehension.[13] On 3 February 2022, it was reported by a US official that al-Hashimi killed himself and members of his family by triggering an explosive device during a counter-terrorism raid by the US Joint Special Operations Command.[14][15]
Less than a week after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Hashimi was elected by a shura council as the new caliph of the Islamic State,[31] indicating that the group still considers itself a caliphate despite having lost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria.[32] Al-Hashimi's appointment was supposedly done in accordance with the advice of Baghdadi, meaning the new emir was named as a successor by Baghdadi himself.[33] Further evidence that al-Hashimi may have been appointed as successor by Baghdadi may be inferred from the relatively quick succession of Baghdadi.[5] Al-Hashimi's coming to power followed several days of speculation and denial surrounding Baghdadi's death among the Islamic State supporters.[34]
The general expectation was that al-Hashimi would become "the leader of a frayed organisation that has been reduced to scattered sleeper cells"[35] and the ruler of a "caliphate of ashes".[5] Some analysts believed that Baghdadi's death would likely cause the Islamic State to splinter, "leaving whoever emerges as its new leader with the task of pulling the group back together as a fighting force".[31] However, other analysts believed that Baghdadi's death would not have much of an impact on the Islamic State "in terms of operational capacity" and that it was likely "not to result in the group’s demise, or really even bring about a decline".[36]
On 2–3 November 2019, al-Hashimi's caliphacy was criticized as illegitimate by the al-Wafa' Media Agency, an online media outlet previously aligned with the Islamic State before turning against it in March 2019. It was argued that "the Prophet decreed obedience to leaders who exist and who are known … not obedience to a nonentity or an unknown". Further, it was argued that the council which elected al-Hashimi did not qualify as legitimate since it lacked three qualifications for the caliph's electors: justice, knowledge, and wisdom – which the council lacked, since it had sent Baghdadi to Idlib, which had earlier been deemed by them a "land of unbelief", when he "would have been much safer hiding in the desert". Further disqualifying the council was the fact that the council had "shed innocent Muslim blood and embraced extremism in the practice of excommunication" (takfir). As a final note, the al-Wafa' Media Agency stated that nothing was left for a would-be caliph to preside over – "You do not recognize that God has destroyed your state on account of your oppression."[9]
In 2019, al-Hashimi received pledges of allegiance from the Islamic State's Sinai province and Bangladeshi affiliates (2 November), Somali province (3 November), Pakistani province and Yemen province (4 November), Hauran province and Khorasan Province (5 November), Tunisia province (6 November), West Africa province, Levant Province – Homs, Levant Province – al-Khayr, Levant Province – Raqqa, East Asia Province and Central Africa Province (7 November), West Asia Province (8 November), West Africa Province – Mali and Burkina Faso and Levant Province - al-Barakah (9 November), Levant Province – Halab (12 November), Iraq Province – Baghdad (14 November), Libya Province (15 November), Iraq Province – Dijlah (16 November), Iraq Province – Diyala (17 November), Iraq Province – Salah al-Din (18 November), Iraq Province – Kirkuk (19 November), East Asia Province – Indonesia (22 November), Azerbaijani affiliates (29 November),[37] and in 2020 from the Islamic State's Malian affiliates (31 January).[38] These pledges of allegiance appeared to be intended to illustrate the legitimacy and unanimous acceptance of al-Hashimi, to counter criticism that he was unknown and illegitimate.[9]
Following an attack on the Tajikistan–Uzbekistan border that killed 17 people on 7 November, the attackers declared allegiance to al-Hashimi prior to the attack, according to journalist Rukmini Callimachi.[39]
On 23 December 2019, Voice of America commented that al-Hashimi had "not provided visible leadership".[23] In contrast, the United Nations Security Council judged in January 2020 that the Islamic State had undergone a resurgence in Iraq and Syria. Though these successes were partially attributed to al-Qurashi's leadership, he still remained a shadowy figure. The UN Security Council suggested that the Islamic State feared that al-Hashimi lacked some credentials that were usually necessary for a caliph, and kept him out of the spotlight so as to not endanger his position.[29]
On 24 March 2020, the United States Department of State designated al-Hashimi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224.[40][41]
On 20 May 2020, the Iraqi Intelligence Service identified a captured militant as al-Hashimi; however, the military clarified that this was actually Abdul Nasser Qardash, a potential successor to al-Baghdadi. Al-Hashimi, the leader of the Islamic State, was still outside Iraqi custody at the time.[42]
On 3 February 2022, United States President Joe Biden announced that U.S. military forces successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation in northwest Syria, resulting in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.[14] A senior White House official stated to Reuters that al-Qurashi exploded a bomb which killed himself and 12 more people, including members of his family, during the Joint Special Operations Command operation.[15]
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The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.