The Islamic State on Thursday confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and announced his successor, days after US President Donald Trump said that the terrorist blew himself up during a raid by the American military.
The group released an audiotape, announcing that Abu Ibrahim Hashimi al-Quraishi, alias Abdullah Qardash, has been named the group's new leader, New York Post reported, citing NBC News.
Al-Baghdadi was killed in a US military operation in northwest Syria, Trump had announced on Sunday.
The notorious ISIS leader had been in hiding for the past five years. Back in April, he had appeared in a propaganda video a week after a series of bombings rattled Sri Lanka, in which more than 250 people were killed.
The notorious ISIS leader had also periodically issued audio statements, with the last being in August 2018.
On Tuesday, Trump had announced that the American military has "terminated" the likely successor of al-Baghdadi.