Islamic State group names new leader, confirms Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death
The Islamic State group Thursday announced its new leader, less than a week after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a raid by U.S. forces on his compound in Syria.
The announcement was reported by the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors the online content of extremist militant groups such as the Islamic State, or ISIS.
The site said al-Baghdadi had been succeeded by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, who was described as "caliph." Few details about al-Qurayshi were provided in a message that also marked the first time ISIS confirmed al-Baghdadi's death.
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The death of the group's spokesman, Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, was also confirmed.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that al-Muhajir, a Saudi Arabian national, had been "terminated by American troops" in a separate operation.
Al-Baghdadi was from Iraq. Al-Qurayshi's nationality is not known.
According to Site, the announcement from ISIS warned Americans not to rejoice in al-Baghdadi's killing. It said it would continue its mission across the world.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command released declassified images and video from the Saturday raid on al-Baghdadi's hide-out in northern Syria that resulted in his death.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ISIS names new leader to replace Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
