Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (Arabic: أبو الحسن الهاشمي القرشي, romanized: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Hāshimī al-Qurashī), probably born Nour Karim al-Mutni Al-Obaidi Al-Rifai (نور بن عبد الكريم المطني العُبيدي الرِّفاعي;[4][5] died 15 October 2022[2]), was an Iraqi[10] militant and the third caliph[a] of the Islamic State. He was named as caliph on 10 March 2022, in an audio message by the new spokesperson of IS, Abu Umar al-Muhajir, whose announcement came more than a month after the death of his predecessor Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.[14][15] The message said that Abu al-Hassan was given a pledge of allegiance in response to the will of the former caliph.[16] The Turkish government claimed that he was arrested in Istanbul on 26 May 2022.[17] Later, Islamic State sources denied news reports of his arrest in the 347th issue of their weekly newsletter Al-Naba.[18]
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
In November 2022, Islamic State spokesman Abu Umar al-Muhajir announced that Abu al-Hasan had been killed in combat. After confirmation by the Islamic State and the United States Central Command of his death in Syria, Abu Umar announced Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi as Abu al-Hasan's successor.
Biography[edit]
Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi, born Nour Karim al-Mutni,[28] he belonged to the Albu 'Ubayd tribe of Rawa in western al Anbar Governorate and grew up there.[4] He studied computer engineering at the University of Baghdad but he abandoned these studies just before the Iraq War and joined the "Rawa Training camp" with Manaf Al-Rawi under the command of AQI leaders Omar Hadid and Abu Muhammad Al-Lubnani. He participated in the battle of Fallujah under the emirate of Al-Zarqawi and afterward went out with Manaf al-Rawi to do "security" work and was imprisoned in Buka camp and then transferred to Abu Ghraib prison he was freed in some months because the US was not able to identify him. After coming out of prison, he started seeking religious knowledge under various AQI leaders including Abu Anas Ash-Shami and Maysarah al-Gharib. He was again imprisoned, this time by Awakening fighters, and remained imprisoned for 1 and a half years. Later on, he was released again and he joined the "Al-Shaykhain training camp" in Al-Anbar deserts.[4] Some additional details about his life stated that in 2005, his brother and seven of his relatives were kidnapped and killed by the mainly Shiite "Wolf Brigade" in Adhamiyah, Baghdad.
During 2013–14, he was sent by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to Syria where he was given command over Islamic State activities in Latakia and Al-Hasakah province, and later on he played an instrumental role in the formation of Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid .[4] Some of his relatives work in Al-Rawi Financial Network, subject to US sanctions. His brother, Firas, was detained in Idlib by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.[29] While operating in the administration of the IS "Baghdad Province", al-Mutni earned the nicknamed "Sword of Baghdad" (Sayf Baghdad).[30] He served as Emir of Diwan al-Amn after the killing of his predecessor Abu Nasir Al-Mosuli and became governor of Wilayat Al-Shaam after the demise of Abu Muhammad al-Furqan in 2016-17 period as well as becoming Emir of Shura Council[4] According to an anti-Islamic State dissident source, By 2018, he used to work under Abu Salem al-Iraqi (IS leader of Damascus in Yarmouk). In May of the same year, he left the Yarmouk camp and moved to Southern Syria where he was appointed supervisor over Hawran Region. [31]
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appointed him as a representative for some of Distant Wilayat and later on Hajji Abdullah assigned him the file of Southern Syria, Palestine, and attacks on Jews.[4][32]
During his tenure, Islamic State's second leader Abdullah Qardash also choose him to be his successor.[31]
In February, 2022 he was given allegiance as the "Caliph of Muslims", succeeding Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi.[33]
After becoming Caliph, he started moving between Iraq and Syria, He went to Anbar to establish camps with Abu Muslim Al-Isawi (Islamic State "governor" for Iraq) and then left for Syria to lead the battles of Badiyah and later on Dara'a.[4]
Alleged arrest[edit]
On 26 May 2022, informed sources told Sky News Arabia that Abu al-Hasan had been arrested in Istanbul, and that security forces had reported the arrest to Erdoğan, who was expected to announce the news about the suspect.[34][35] Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency later claimed that Turkish intelligence had been tracking his movements in Syria for a long period of time, and arrested him promptly after he illegally entered Turkey.[36] In July, a UN Security Council report stated that there was no available clarification regarding the Turkish claim.[21] On 16 September 2022, Islamic State spokesperson Abu Umar al-Muhajir seemingly denied claims that their caliph had been arrested, calling on Muslims globally to pledge allegiance to him.[24]