ISIS Names New Leader as It Confirms Baghdadi’s Death

he ISIS confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, said a statement.

Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, ISIL’s new spokesman, made the announcement on Thursday in an audio statement distributed by the group’s media arm, al-Furqan, days after a weekend raid by US forces that resulted in al-Baghdadi’s death.

“We mourn you … commander of the faithful,” he said, adding that ISIL’s legislative and consultative body convened after the 48-year-old Iraqi-born chief’s death.

The seven-minute statement did not provide any other details about the new leader and it was not immediately clear who the name was in reference to. ISIL usually identifies its leaders using noms de guerre that refer to their tribal affiliation and lineage. Those names often change.

The audio also addressed the United States, saying: “Do not rejoice America. The new chosen one will make you forget the horror you have beholden … and make the achievements of the Baghdadi days taste sweet.”

Baghdadi, who led ISIS since 2014 and was the world’s most wanted man, was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday.

U.S.president Trump said the ISIL chief detonated a suicide vest after running into a dead-end tunnel beneath a compound.