ISIS says Bangladeshi terrorists support their new leader

Nasher news, which carries the group's news releases, posted pictures Saturday of a handful of militants purportedly from Bangladesh with their faces covered standing under the group's black flag. Their index fingers were raised to pledge allegiance to new leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi Al-Qurayshi, reported The New York Times.

Other pictures showed militants purportedly from Egypt's Sinai with their rifles and index fingers raised. The agency reports they too were pledging allegiance to the new leader, reported the US-based newspaper.

Meanwhile, Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intel group, also confirmed the matter by tweeting: "As pledges to the new #ISIS leader have flooded the group’s venues, interesting that 2nd ISIS’ official report features fighters from #Bangladesh ,(which is not among grp’s provinces) as they pledge to the new leader. (1st photo report was from Sinai prov)."

Islamic State has announced Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi as its new leader following the death of  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group has also confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in its newly released message, reports said.

"ISIS confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and that of its former spox, Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir,"  SITE Intelligence Group tweeted.

"The message warns America not to rejoice in killing of its leadership. Asserts #ISIS is not limited to Middle East and that it will continue its mission," SITE Director Rita Katz said.

Ending all speculations, US President Donald Trump last Sunday confirmed the death of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

After heading the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), also known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in a statement on 8 April 2013, al-Baghdadi had announced the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – alternatively translated from the Arabic as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In June 2014, ISIL announced the establishment of a worldwide caliphate and al-Baghdadi was named its caliph, to be known as "Caliph Ibrahim", and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was renamed the Islamic State.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was designated by the United States Department of State as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist who was "responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East, including the brutal murder of numerous civilian hostages from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States".

 

Baghdadi Image from SITE Intel Group Twitter page