Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir explained

Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
Native Name:ابو الحسن المهاجر
Native Name Lang:ar
Birth Name:Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri
Birth Place:Riyadh
Death Place:Ayn al-Bayda, Jarabulus
Death Cause:Air strike
Nationality:Saudi Arabian
Occupation:Official spokesman of the Islamic State
Successor:Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
Criminal Charge:Designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council and the US State Department

Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri (Arabic: ظاهر سليم محمد الشاهري) known by his nom de guerre Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir (Arabic: أبو الحسن المهاجر; died 27 October 2019) 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.[1] He was replaced by Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi.

History

Abul-Hasan was the successor of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who was killed while visiting the Aleppo frontlines in Syria in August 2016.[2] 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.[3]

Speeches

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.[10]

Death

Muhajir and four others were killed on 27 October 2019 by a Central Intelligence Agency airstrike in Ayn al-Bayda,[11] near Jarablus in northwest Syria, close to the border with Turkey.[12] [13] 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.[14] Muhajir was described as a senior ISIS leader and Baghdadi's "right-hand man."[12]

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!"[15] While Trump did not specify a name, a U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to al-Muhajir.[16] On 31 October, ISIS confirmed al-Muhajir and al-Baghdadi's deaths.[17]

Notes and References

  1. News: IS confirms Baghdadi death and names new leader. BBC News. October 31, 2019.
  2. News: Islamic State identifies Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer as new spokesman . 5 December 2016 . . 5 February 2017.
  3. News: Islamic State names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi. BBC News. 31 October 2019. 2019-10-31.
  4. Web site: New audio message from The Islamic State's Abū al-Ḥasan al-Muhājir: "And You Will Remember What I [Now] Say To You" ]. 2024-01-07 . jihadology.net.
  5. Countering Islamic State Messaging Through "Linkage-Based" Analysis . Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies . J.M. . Berger . August 2017 . 29 October 2019 . 10.19165/2017.2.02 . 2468-0486 . 3–4, 6, 8 . free . 23 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180923102359/https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ICCT-Berger-Countering-IS-Messaging-Aug-2017-1.pdf . dead .
  6. The Battle for Raqqa and the Challenges after Liberation . June 2017 . 10 . 6 . Hassan . Hassan . 29 October 2019 . . 6 . . 28 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180528133807/https://ctc.usma.edu/the-battle-for-raqqa-and-the-challenges-after-liberation/ . dead .
  7. Web site: New audio message from The Islamic State's Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir: "So From Their Guidance Take An Example" . Aaaron Y. . Zelin . 22 April 2018 . 17 April 2019 . Jihadology.
  8. Web site: New audio message from The Islamic State’s Abū al-Ḥasan al-Muhājir: "The Mujāhidīn's Assault on the Tower of the Polytheists" . 2024-01-07 . jihadology.net.
  9. News: ISIS Spokesman Ends Silence by Calling for Retaliation Over New Zealand Massacres . 18 March 2019 . . 19 March 2019 . Rukmini . Callimachi . Rukmini Callimachi .
  10. News: The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS . Graeme . Wood . Graeme Wood (journalist) . 25 January 2017 . 17 April 2019 . The Atlantic.
  11. Web site: U.S. Strikes Kill ISIS Spokesperson One Day After Baghdadi's Death in Syria Raid. Newsweek. 27 October 2019.
  12. Web site: ISIS spokesman Al-Muhajir killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria. BNO News. October 27, 2019. October 27, 2019.
  13. Web site: Kurdish YPG: Islamic State spokesman killed in Syria. Reuters. October 27, 2019. October 27, 2019.
  14. Web site: ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says. The New York Times. October 27, 2019. October 27, 2019.
  15. News: Trump says al-Baghdadi's 'number one replacement' is dead . 29 October 2019 . 29 October 2019 . . Al Jazeera Media Network.
  16. Web site: Trump says likely Baghdadi successor killed by U.S. troops. Reuters. October 29, 2019. October 29, 2019.
  17. Web site: Islamic State confirms Baghdadi's death, names new 'Emir of the Faithful'. Long War Journal. 1 November 2019.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.