Spokesman of the Islamic State (died 2019)
Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri (Arabic : ظاهر سليم محمد الشاهري)[1] known by his nom de guerre Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir (Arabic : أبو الحسن المهاجر ; died 27 October 2019)[2] was the kunya used by the official spokesman of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from 5 December 2016 until 27 October 2019, when he was killed in a U.S. airstrike in northwest Syria. He was a Saudi national.[3] He was replaced by Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi .
History [ edit ]
Abul-Hasan was the successor of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani , who was killed while visiting the Aleppo frontlines in Syria in August 2016.[4] He was believed to have been a foreigner due to his kunya identifying him as "al-Muhajir" meaning "the emigrant". After his death, he was confirmed to be a Saudi national on 31 October.[5]
Speeches [ edit ]
"And You Will Remember What I [Now] Say To You" – 5 December 2016[6]
"So Be Patient. Indeed, The Promise Of God Is Truth" – 4 April 2017[7]
"And When The Believers Saw The Companies" – 12 June 2017[8]
"So From Their Guidance Take An Example" – 22 April 2018[9]
"The Mujāhidīn’s Assault on the Tower of the Polytheists" – 26 September 2018[10]
"He Was True To God, So [God] Was True To Him" – 18 March 2019[11]
Speculation about identity [ edit ]
In an article published in The Atlantic , journalist Graeme Wood postulates that Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir is Texas-born John Georgelas , also known as Yahya Abu Hassan , though he later cast doubt on his theory, and al-Bahrumi was eventually killed in October 2017.[12]
Muhajir and four others were killed on 27 October 2019 by a Central Intelligence Agency airstrike in Ayn al-Bayda ,[13] near Jarablus in northwest Syria , close to the border with Turkey .[2] [14] It came less than 24 hours after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a U.S. raid in Syria's Idlib Province .[15] Muhajir was described as a senior ISIS leader and Baghdadi's "right-hand man."[2]
On 29 October, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on social media that al-Baghdadi's "number one replacement" had been killed by American forces, adding: "Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!"[16] While Trump did not specify a name, a U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to al-Muhajir.[17] On 31 October, ISIS confirmed al-Muhajir and al-Baghdadi's deaths.[18]
References [ edit ]
^ مقابلة خاصة مع زوجة زعيم تنظيم داعش أبو بكر البغدادي (in Arabic), Al-Arabiya TV Channel, 2024-02-15, retrieved 2024-02-15
^ a b c "ISIS spokesman Al-Muhajir killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria" . BNO News . October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019 .
^ "IS confirms Baghdadi death and names new leader" . BBC News . October 31, 2019.
^ "Islamic State identifies Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer as new spokesman" . Reuters . 5 December 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017 .
^ "Islamic State names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi" . BBC News . 31 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-31 .
^ "New audio message from The Islamic State's Abū al-Ḥasan al-Muhājir: "And You Will Remember What I [Now] Say To You" " . jihadology.net . Retrieved 2024-01-07 .
^ Berger, J.M. (August 2017). "Countering Islamic State Messaging Through "Linkage-Based" Analysis" (PDF) . Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies : 3–4, 6, 8. doi :10.19165/2017.2.02 . ISSN 2468-0486 . Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019 .
^ Hassan, Hassan (June 2017). "The Battle for Raqqa and the Challenges after Liberation" . Combating Terrorism Center . 10 (6). United States Military Academy : 6. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019 .
^ Zelin, Aaaron Y. (22 April 2018). "New audio message from The Islamic State's Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir: "So From Their Guidance Take An Example" " . Jihadology . Retrieved 17 April 2019 .
^ "New audio message from The Islamic State's Abū al-Ḥasan al-Muhājir: "The Mujāhidīn's Assault on the Tower of the Polytheists" " . jihadology.net . Retrieved 2024-01-07 .
^ Callimachi, Rukmini (18 March 2019). "ISIS Spokesman Ends Silence by Calling for Retaliation Over New Zealand Massacres" . The New York Times . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ Wood, Graeme (25 January 2017). "The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS" . The Atlantic . Retrieved 17 April 2019 .
^ "U.S. Strikes Kill ISIS Spokesperson One Day After Baghdadi's Death in Syria Raid" . Newsweek . 27 October 2019.
^ "Kurdish YPG: Islamic State spokesman killed in Syria" . Reuters . October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019 .
^ "ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says" . The New York Times . October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019 .
^ "Trump says al-Baghdadi's 'number one replacement' is dead" . Al Jazeera . Al Jazeera Media Network . 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019 .
^ "Trump says likely Baghdadi successor killed by U.S. troops" . Reuters . October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
^ "Islamic State confirms Baghdadi's death, names new 'Emir of the Faithful' " . Long War Journal . 1 November 2019.
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