(VOVWORLD) - 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.
 ISIS leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi. (Photo: Reuters) |
The leader “was killed after direct clashes” with extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province, an ISIS spokesman said in a recorded message on the Telegram messaging app. Al-Quraishi took over in November last year after his predecessor was killed, also in Syria.
After losing their last scraps of territory, in March 2019, ISIS remnants in Syria mostly retreated into desert hideouts in the country's east. They have since used such hideouts to ambush Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops.
The UN estimated in a report published last month that ISIS still has 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters across Iraq and Syria.