Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qureshi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, was killed in fighting, its spokesman said in an audio message posted on an affiliated Telegram channel.
He added that the group has chosen Abu al-Hussein al-Husayni al-Qurayshi to replace him. The spokesman said that Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qurayshi was killed “fighting the enemies of God”, without elaborating.
No information about the new IS leader has been given in the audio.
IS declared Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qurashi as its new leader in March following the death of its predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi.