Islamic State group new chief’s priority? ‘Staying alive’

PARIS: The Islamic State group’s new chief could have two key priorities, knowledgeable Hans-Jakob Schindler advised AFP, to maintain ties between its a number of subsidiaries — and easily to remain alive.
The jihadist group revealed the id of its third chief since its inception on Thursday, confirming the dying of its chief Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, greater than a month after his demise, and naming Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as his successor.
In line with the White Home and US defence officers, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi died when he detonated a bomb to keep away from seize throughout a US raid that noticed commandos swoop in by helicopter to an space in northwest Syria managed by rival jihadists.
His demise, through the evening of February 2-3 within the city of Atme in Idlib province, was the most important setback to IS since his personal predecessor, the better-known Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed round 15 kilometres (9 miles) away throughout a 2019 US commando raid.
Little is understood concerning the new chief himself, however Schindler, senior director at Counter Extremism Mission, and a former United Nations knowledgeable on jihadism, defined what the announcement means.
“Baghdadi, as a caliph ought to be, was making statements on a regular basis: the end result was he died. Qurashi was the precise reverse, not public in any respect, not speaking besides with only a few people… (however) the result’s he died,” he mentioned.
“In Afghanistan… solely years after he died did the Taliban really admit that Mullah Omar was lifeless… for years after his precise dying he was nonetheless the chief and there have been statements popping out!
“Possibly they (IS) have been ready so lengthy as a result of they wished to go down that highway.
“They might have put out an announcement saying his dying was all lies, and all the pieces would have ticked very properly alongside.”
“I assume they really feel they want a respiratory individual; perhaps too many believed he really had died,” mentioned Schindler.
“There’s a little bit of a problem to get a brand new chief, which you want as a result of it’s a must to get a pacesetter to swear loyalty to.
“That’s the solely factor that connects East Africa to West Africa to Southeast Asia.
“That’s how the community features… if you happen to’re an Islamist motion, someplace within the area, you want this point of interest.”
“Strategically ISIS is just not doing badly… Africa is an efficient ‘success story’. They’ve new provinces,” Schindler mentioned, utilizing one other acronym for IS.
“Afghanistan goes effectively… any improper transfer made by the Taliban, they’re going to get extra folks. They even attacked in Peshawar (in Pakistan) final week, outdoors of Afghanistan.
“They nonetheless have setbacks in South Asia, however because the assaults in Sri Lanka confirmed, you may nonetheless do a variety of injury with out having big variety of associates.
“You conduct small however horrible assaults, as they do in France. Strategically, ISIS is just not doing badly.
“It’s a drawback that their leaders hold getting killed… and there’s not going to be a caliphate any time quickly wherever.
“However, have little question, it’s nonetheless a really viable terror community.”
“To remain alive. If you wish to die, change into ISIS chief — significantly!
“His perform is primarily to maintain the community collectively, and function a focus for the types of native associates.
“Operational involvement is extremely dangerous. It means it’s a must to talk with others, after which it’s only a matter of time; there was no cellphone in (the late Al-Qaeda founder Osama) bin Laden’s compound, they usually nonetheless bought him.
“Speaking by assertion is much less of an issue; you do it each two or three months.
“If it’s a must to do dozens of communications, backwards and forwards, stepping into particulars and planning, that’s when the dangers begin.”