Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (Arabic: أبو حفص الهاشمي القرشي) is a militant and the fifth and current caliph[a] of the Wahhabi jihadist group Islamic State. He was named as caliph on 3 August 2023, in an audio message by the spokesperson of IS, Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, whose announcement came four months after the death of his predecessor Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi.
Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
Very little is known about Abu Hafs' early life. IS only admitted that he was a long-serving veteran of the group.[5]
Following the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, the IS Majlis-ash-Shura (consultation council) discussed a potential successor as caliph. The shura mutually agreed to appoint Abu Hafs[5] who officially took over the IS leadership on 3 August 2023. He was announced as caliph by Islamic State's official spokesmen Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, in an audio message broadcast by Al-Furqan Media Foundation (Islamic State's primary media outlet).[6][7] As the announcement also cited a number of medieval Islamic scholars like al-Mazari and al-Nawawi in support of Abu Hafs' caliphate, some researchers such as M. Nureddin argued that Abu Hafs' rise had been contentious within the IS high command. Nureddin argued that these issues necessitated that the validity of the allegiance to Abu Hafs was bolstered by citing renowned past scholars. However, researcher Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi disagreed, instead arguing that the references to al-Mazari and al-Nawawi were merely supposed to emphasize that Abu Hafs could be a valid IS leader despite remaining "behind a veil of obscurity for security reasons".[5] In general, Al-Tamimi described Abu Hafs as the third in a line of IS "caliphs of the shadows" or "faceless caliphs", as very little was known about him or his predecessors Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi and Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi compared to the first two IS caliphs.[8]
The global network of IS quickly pledged loyalty to Abu Hafs, ranging from large sections such as the West Africa Province to smaller groups like the Yemen Province. There was also a pledge of loyalty by a group in Sudan, though IS had not previously admitted a presence in this country. At the time of the appointment of Abu Hafs, IS was experiencing a resurgence in Syria, with its forces increasing their attacks on the Syrian government as well as civilians.[9] However, the group was still under extreme pressure in both Syria and Iraq, evidenced by the quick succession of killed leaders. Regardless, Abu Hafs and the remaining IS central command seemed convinced to remain in the region and not to relocate, as they still considered the Middle East their heartland.[10]
Many high-profile terror attacks (not including military engagements) have been conducted by IS across the globe during Abu Hafs' tenure as caliph, such as:
Alleged identity[edit]
In August, 2023, it was reported that one of 2 Iraqi Islamic State leader (Abu Khadijah al-Iraqi or Abu Al-Muthanna Al-Janubi) is believe to be the new caliph Abu Hafs.[23]
In June, 2024, According to a U.S. assessment reported by Voice of America, there have been numerous rumors originating from Somalia suggesting that IS emir Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurashi traveled from Syria or Iraq, passing through Yemen, and ultimately reaching the semi-autonomous Puntland region in the northeast of Somalia. This however is unconfirmed.[24]
