Iraq claims capture of Baghdadi's successor

CAIRO – 21 May 2020: Iraq has announced the arrest of a senior ISIS leader believed to be a successor to the terror group’s former chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

The National Intelligence Service told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) it had arrested Abdul Nasser Qardash, who served as the head of one of the terrorist group’s commissions.

He also served under Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who led the group that preceded ISIS.

Some reports, however, suggested Qardash was captured by US or Kurdish forces in Syria last year and just recently transferred to Iraqi custody.

The US has previously identified Ameer Muhammed Saeed Al-Salbi Al-Mawla, as the new leader of ISIS. He is known within the group as Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi.

Some reports said Qardash was the same person as Al-Mawla, despite the photo used by INA of the captured militant not matching that of Al-Mawla, according to Arab News.