Abdul Nasser Qardash
Abdullah Qardash عبد الله قرداش | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tal Afar, Iraq |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Nickname(s) | "The Professor" and “Destroyer” [1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Ba'athist Iraq (prior to 2003) |
Al-Haj Abdullah Qardash (Arabic: عبد الله قرداش[2]) (sometimes spelt Karshesh, also known as Hajji Abdullah al-Afari) is the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), a designated terrorist organization. He assumed the position on 26 October 2019, following the death of ISIS's previous leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the Barisha raid conducted by the Delta Force of the United States Army. He had already been appointed as al-Baghdadi's successor in August 2019 and was in control of the day-to-day running of the organisation. He was earlier a religious commissar in the terrorist organization al-Qaeda before joining the Islamic State.[3][4]
Background
Qardash originates from Tal Afar, Iraq. He studied in the Islamic Sciences college in Mosul.[5]
Prior to joining ISIS, Qardash had been an officer within the regime of Saddam Hussein.[6][7] Qardash was jailed in 2003–2004[8] by the US authorities with al-Baghdadi in Camp Bucca, a detention facility in Basra, following the invasion of Iraq and the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime,[9][10] becoming one of al-Baghdadi's closest companions.
References
- ^ Ensor, Josie (27 October 2019). "Isis faces the future without Baghdadi - one it has long planned for". Josie Ensor. The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ صحيفة: ضابط استخبارات صدام حسين يتولى قيادة “داعش” بأمر من البغدادي “المريض” (in Arabic). 22 August 2019.
- ^ "ISIS ALREADY HAS A NEW LEADER, BUT BAGHDADI MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE GROUP ANYWAY". TOM O'CONNOR AND NAVEED JAMALI. NewsWeek. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Speculation mounts of a new ISIS leader in the making". National. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Abdullah Qardash: IS Successor To Al-Baghdadi? – Analysis". Eurasia Review. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Who is Abdullah Qardash? Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's heir who could revive ISIS". Nandita Natrajkumar. International Business Times. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ Baghdad, Jordan Siegel (22 August 2019). "Ailing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi puts 'Professor' Abdullah Qardash in charge of Isis". Jordan Siegel. The Times. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ Bureau, ABP News (2019-10-28). "Former Saddam Henchman Abdullah Qardash To Be Baghdadi's Successor: Reports". www.abplive.in. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- ^ "PROF IN CHARGE New ISIS leader named as ex-Saddam henchman 'The Professor' Abdullah Qardash after Baghdadi killed in US raid". The Sun. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Relinquishes Control of ISIS, but not the Islamic Caliphate". International Policy Digest. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.