Abul-Hasan_al-Muhajir

Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir

Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir

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.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

History

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

  • "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

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]

Death

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

  1. [1]
    مقابلة خاصة مع زوجة زعيم تنظيم داعش أبو بكر البغدادي (in Arabic), Al-Arabiya TV Channel, 2024-02-15, retrieved 2024-02-15
  2. [2]
    "ISIS spokesman Al-Muhajir killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria". BNO News. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. [3]
    "IS confirms Baghdadi death and names new leader". BBC News. October 31, 2019.
  4. [4]
    "Islamic State identifies Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer as new spokesman". Reuters. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. [5]
    "Islamic State names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi". BBC News. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  6. [6]
    "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.
  7. [7]
    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.
  8. [8]
    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.
  9. [9]
    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.
  10. [10]
    "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.
  11. [11]
    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.
  12. [12]
    Wood, Graeme (25 January 2017). "The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS". The Atlantic. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  13. [13]
    "U.S. Strikes Kill ISIS Spokesperson One Day After Baghdadi's Death in Syria Raid". Newsweek. 27 October 2019.
  14. [14]
    "Kurdish YPG: Islamic State spokesman killed in Syria". Reuters. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  15. [15]
    "ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says". The New York Times. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  16. [16]
    "Trump says al-Baghdadi's 'number one replacement' is dead". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera Media Network. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  17. [17]
    "Trump says likely Baghdadi successor killed by U.S. troops". Reuters. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  18. [18]
    "Islamic State confirms Baghdadi's death, names new 'Emir of the Faithful'". Long War Journal. 1 November 2019.
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