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Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir

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Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
أبو الحسن المهاجر
Born
Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri

1977 (1977)
Riyadh
Died27 October 2019(2019-10-27) (aged 41–42)
Ayn al-Bayda, Jarabulus
Cause of deathAir strike
NationalitySaudi Arabian
OccupationOfficial spokesman of the Islamic State
PredecessorAbu Muhammad al-Adnani
SuccessorAbu Hamza Al-Qurashi
Movement Islamic State
Criminal charge(s)Designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council and the US State Department

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 second official spokesman of the Islamic State 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

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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

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  • "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

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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

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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 IS 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 IS 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, IS confirmed al-Muhajir and al-Baghdadi's deaths.[18]

References

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