The Islamic State group declared on Thursday August 3, the demise of its leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, stating that he was killed during confrontations in northwestern Syria. Additionally, the group announced the appointment of a new successor to the leadership position.

The Islamic State group announced on Thursday the death of its leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who it said was killed in clashes in northwestern Syria, and named a successor.

The leader “was killed after direct clashes” with jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province, an IS spokesman said in a recorded message on its channels on the Telegram messaging app, without specifying when he was killed.

The spokesman announced the group’s new leader, its fifth, as Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.

In late April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the suspected IS leader had been killed in Syria in an operation carried out by Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency.

“The suspected leader of Daesh, codename Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, has been neutralized in an operation carried out… by the MIT in Syria,” Erdogan said at the time, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State organization.

Turkish media released images of a fenced-off building in the middle of a field where it said he was hiding in Syria’s Afrin region.

Afrin lies in Aleppo province, neighboring Idlib, in an area controlled by Turkish-backed rebels.

However, the IS spokesman insisted Thursday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls rebel areas of Idlib province, had killed the group’s chief and handed his body to Turkey.

IS accuses HTS, which has not claimed any operation targeting the IS leader, of working in Ankara’s interests.

The United States and other Western governments have blacklisted HTS as a terrorist group.

Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency said at the time that the MIT conducted a four-hour operation during which it located the IS leader.

The IS leader set off his suicide vest when he realized he was about to be captured, Anadolu said, adding that no Turkish operatives were killed or injured.

Khalil Wakim, with AFP