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ISIS leader, ex-Saddam officer al-Qurashi, aka ‘The Professor,’ blasts self, family, during firefight with US Commandos at his hideout in Syria, early Thursday

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>IS<strong>IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi&comma; aka &&num;8216&semi;The Professor&&num;8217&semi; blew himself and his kids up to avoid capture early Thursday <&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>He blew himself up during the assault by U&period;S&period; on a home in the Idlib province of Syria&comma; Thursday&comma; as US 24 commandos arriving in Black hawks attacked his residence at <strong>1 am local time<&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>Detonating suicide blast threw bodies into the street&comma; with <strong>13 people reportedly killed&comma; including six children and four women<&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>After a two-hour gun fight with locals&comma; s<strong>pecial forces saved babies&comma;<&sol;strong> but left the ISIS leader&&num;8217&semi;s body in the rubble<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>al-Qurashi&comma; also known as Abdullah Qardash&comma; was nicknamed The Professor or The Destroyer because of his reputation as a brutal legislator <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>The one time US prisoner was known as a cruel&comma; but popular figure among the ISIS rank-and-file <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>Former officer in Saddam led Iraq&comma; al-Qurashi&comma; was imprisoned alongside Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi&comma; and was once a US informant<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>He replaced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after al-Baghdadi blew himself up with a suicide vest to elude capture&comma; during a U&period;S&period; raid in 2019 <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading" id&equals;"isis-leader-known-as-the-professor-who-blew-himself-and-his-kids-up-rather-than-face-justice-ex-saddam-officer-al-qurayshi-who-was-imprisoned-alongside-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-eliminated-his-rivals-and-was-once-a-us-informant-al-qurayshi-also-known-as-abdullah-qardash-was-nicknamed-the-professor-or-the-destroyer-because-of-his-reputation-as-a-brutal-legislator-blew-himself-up-during-a-u-s-attack-on-a-home-in-the-idlib-province-of-syria-is-known-as-a-cruel-but-popular-figure-among-the-isis-rank-and-file-replaced-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-after-al-baghdadi-blew-himself-up-with-a-suicide-vest-during-a-u-s-raid-in-2019-al-qurayshi-was-once-known-to-u-s-officials-as-a-cooperative-informant-after-he-was-captured-in-2007-in-2020-the-u-s-doubled-the-bounty-on-the-new-isis-leader-s-head-to-10-million" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;413232"><strong>al-Qurashi was once known to U&period;S&period; officials as a cooperative informant after he was captured in 2007&comma; but in 2020 the U&period;S&period; doubled the bounty on the new ISIS leader&&num;8217&semi;s head to &dollar;10 million<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399435" width&equals;"838" height&equals;"1199"&sol;><figcaption><strong>al-Qurashi was once known to U&period;S&period; officials as a cooperative informant&comma; who divulged details to American forces on the Islamic State in&nbsp&semi;<a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;dailymail&period;co&period;uk&sol;news&sol;iraq&sol;index&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Iraq<&sol;a>&period; He was captured in 2007 or 2008&comma; and spent months in an American detention camp in Iraq&nbsp&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>According to reports&comma; around 1 am on Thursday&comma; two dozen US commandos quickly surrounded a three-story home in Atmeh&comma; Syria&comma; close to the Turkish border&period; The top floor reportedly&comma; was home and headquarters to ISIS chief Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi &&num;8211&semi; born Amir Muhammad Sa’id al-Salbi al-Mawla &&num;8211&semi; and his family<br>As the US commandos closed in on the building&comma; a voice speaking Arabic&comma; through a bullhorn told residents to give themselves up&period;<br>Instead a firefight broke out&period; An ISIS lieutenant and his wife opened fire from the second floor as the commandoes moved in&period; about 45 minutes into the raid an explosion rocked the building&comma; destroying much of the top floor where the ISIS leader and his family stayed&period; American officials have described it as a suicide blast&period;<br>Witness said bodies were flung clear of the rubble&period; First responders said that 13 people died in all&period; al-Qurashi according to sources&comma; was killed&period;<br>The whole operation lasted two hours&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-2&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399441" width&equals;"819" height&equals;"996"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Al-Qurashi&comma; aka &nbsp&semi;Abdullah Qardash or Hajji Abdullah&comma;&nbsp&semi;was known to U&period;S&period; officials as a cooperative informant&comma; who divulged details to American forces on the Islamic State in Iraq<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The accounts say helicopters arrived low and fast out of the sky about an hour after midnight&period; American intelligence officers having pinpointed the location of the ISIS leader at to the top of a three-story house among the olive groves just outside Atmeh&comma; a Syrian town near the border with Turkey&period;<br>Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was a stickler for security&period; He never left the building&comma; running his terrorist group with messages sent through a lieutenant who lived on the floor below&period;<br>the operation lasted two hours&period; <br>The first neighbors knew of the lethal operation was the sound of helicopters&comma; rousing them from their sleep&period; Minutes later they heard a voice through a bullhorn telling the building&&num;8217&semi;s occupants to give themselves up&colon; &&num;8216&semi;Those who want to take part in jihad&comma; come out&comma;&&num;8217&semi; the voice said&period; <br>&&num;8216&semi;Everyone will be safe if you surrender&period; Those who remain will die&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>At about the same time&comma; another neighbor reported banging on his own door&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-video wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-videopress"><div class&equals;"wp-block-embed&lowbar;&lowbar;wrapper">&NewLine;<iframe title&equals;"VideoPress Video Player" aria-label&equals;'VideoPress Video Player' width&equals;'620' height&equals;'347' src&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;videopress&period;com&sol;embed&sol;3hri7shK&quest;cover&equals;1&amp&semi;preloadContent&equals;metadata&amp&semi;hd&equals;0' frameborder&equals;'0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent&equals;"true" allow&equals;'clipboard-write'><&sol;iframe><script src&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;v0&period;wordpress&period;com&sol;js&sol;next&sol;videopress-iframe&period;js&quest;m&equals;1674852142'><&sol;script>&NewLine;<&sol;div><figcaption><strong>Burning wreckage of helicopter tat crashed during military mission to capture Al-Qurashi in Syria<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi&comma; otherwise known as &&num;8216&semi;The Professor&comma;&&num;8217&semi; had a complicated history&comma; where he once served as a U&period;S&period; informant before Washington more recently&comma; placed a &dollar;10 million bounty on his head&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>al-Qurashi&comma; also known as Abdullah Qardash&comma;&nbsp&semi;was&nbsp&semi;nicknamed The Professor or The Destroyer because of his reputation as a brutal legislator&comma; known for his cruelty&comma; yet a popular figure among the ISIS rank-and-file&period;<br>He replaced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ISIS leader&comma; after al-Baghdadi blew himself up with a suicide vest during a U&period;S&period; raid in 2019&period; <br>Al-Qurashi&nbsp&semi;is believed to be a former officer in Saddam Hussein&&num;8217&semi;s military who forged an alliance with al-Baghdadi in prison before becoming his enforcer and chief policymaker&period;<br>Defense Department documents describe him as an at-times &&num;8216&semi;cooperative&&num;8217&semi; informant who under interrogation revealed details on the group that he would go on to lead&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-3&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399442" width&equals;"818" height&equals;"979"&sol;><figcaption><strong>In 2020&comma; the U&period;S&period; doubled the bounty on al-Qurashi&comma; the new ISIS leader&&num;8217&semi;s head to &dollar;10 million&comma; as they released this photo of him&nbsp&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Al-Qurashi &&num;8211&semi; also known as&nbsp&semi;Hajji Abdullah al-Afari &&num;8211&semi; was born Amir Muhammad Sa’id al-Salbi al-Mawla&comma; in 1976&comma; the youngest of seven sons of a Sunni Imam in Tal Afar&comma; a Sunni-majority town in Iraq&comma; before joining the military while Saddam Hussein ruled the country&period; His father served as the imam of the Furqan Mosque in Al Baath neighborhood in Mosul from 1982 to 2001&period;<br>Following the invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003 and President Bush&&num;8217&semi;s move to disband the country&&num;8217&semi;s military&comma; he found himself locked in jail accused of having links to al-Qaeda&period;<br>According to a statement by Amaq&comma; ISIS&&num;8217&semi;s press agency&comma; the former leader al-Baghdadi appointed Al-Qurashi to run the group&&num;8217&semi;s day-to-day operations in August 2019&comma; making him the heir-apparent after his former boss killed himself during the raid by US forces in Syria&period;<br>In 2020&comma; the U&period;S&period; doubled the bounty on the new ISIS leader&&num;8217&semi;s head to &dollar;10 million&period; Getting to him however&comma; was more difficult because the terror organization leader maintained a low profile&period; <br>He made no public appearances and he rarely released any audio recordings&period; His influence and day-to-day involvement in the group’s operations is not known&comma; and he has no known successor&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Abu-Bakr-al-Baghdadi-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399454" width&equals;"830" height&equals;"458"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Caliphate leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; who hand picked Qurashi to be his successor&comma; is shown in a still from a video released in April&comma; having not been seen since he spoke at the Grand Mosque in Mosul in 2014&period; He died in a suicide by <strong>detonating his own suicide vest during a targeted raid on his lair in Syria&&num;8217&semi;s Idlib province&comma; killing three of his children in the blast <&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-in-Camp-bucca-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399489" width&equals;"808" height&equals;"1138"&sol;><figcaption><strong>al-Qurashi during his incarceration in Camp Bucca&period; He formed a close bond with al-Baghdadi while both were being held in a cell at&nbsp&semi;the camp<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>His predecessor&comma; Caliphate leader&comma; Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated his own suicide vest during the targeted raid on his lair in Syria&&num;8217&semi;s Idlib province and killed three of his children in the blast&period; He is shown in a still from a video released in April&comma; having not been seen since he spoke at the Grand Mosque in Mosul in 2014&period; <br>The men formed a close bond while being held in a cell at&nbsp&semi;Camp&period; al-Baghdadi&comma; at the time was creating the extremist religious code that would provide the ideological compass for the death cult that morphed into ISIS&period; <br>After his release al-Qurashi served as a religious commissar and a general sharia judge for al-Qaeda&comma; according to researchers at the&nbsp&semi;<a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;rsis&period;edu&period;sg&sol;rsis-publication&sol;icpvtr&sol;abdullah-qardash-is-successor-to-al-baghdadi&sol;&num;&period;XbagoRT7SUl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">S&period; Rajartnam School of International Studies<&sol;a>&nbsp&semi;in Singapore&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<br>Al-Qurashi was tasked with establishing an institute for training judges and clergymen in the campus of al-Imam al-Adham College in Mosul&comma; likely in part where &&num;8216&semi;The Professor&&num;8217&semi; nickname came from&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<br>When ISIS emerged as a splinter group from Al-Qaeda&&num;8217&semi;s Syrian branch he changed allegiances&comma; where he became Baghdadi&&num;8217&semi;s enforcer&period;<br>Working close to Baghdadi&comma; he was responsible for eliminating anyone who disagreed with his style of leadership&comma; which is where he earned his other nickname&comma; &&num;8216&semi;The Destroyer&&num;8217&semi;&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>From there he became the group&&num;8217&semi;s chief policymaker and legislator&comma; known for enforcing its strict brand of Islam and Sharia Law punishments&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-Bounty-4&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399455"&sol;><figcaption><strong>A poster advertising a &dollar;10 million U&period;S&period; reward for information about al Qurayshi &lbrack;image&rsqb;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>He is thought to have personally welcomed Baghdadi into Mosul in 2014 after ISIS took the city &&num;8211&semi; announcing their presence as the world&&num;8217&semi;s foremost terror group&period; <br>It was from the minaret of the&nbsp&semi;Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul that Baghdadi gave a speech announcing the formation of the religious extremist ISIS Caliphate&period; <br>In capturing Mosul&comma; ISIS had killed thousands of Yazidi residents&comma; and enslaved Yazidi women under the guise of enforcing Sharia law&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>There were disagreements among ISIS leadership about enslaving the Yazidi women&comma; but al-Qurashi&comma; a zealot&comma; led the organization&&num;8217&semi;s more extremist leaders in insisting on the religious cleansing&comma; according to&nbsp&semi;<a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newlinesmag&period;com&sol;reportage&sol;a-caliph-without-a-caliphate-the-biography-of-isiss-new-leader&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">News Lines Magazine&period;<&sol;a>&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-blows-himself-family-up-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"This image has an empty alt attribute&semi; its file name is Al-Qurayshi-blows-himself-family-up-1&period;jpg"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Extreme destruction caused by the blast considerable damage&comma; with blood spattering the interior walls<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-residence-before-explosion1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399457"&sol;><figcaption><strong>The Pentagon released this aerial view of the compound where ISIS leader al-Qurashi lived&period; US sources said the terror leader ran his network through a lieutenant living on the second floor<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-blows-himself-family-up-4&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399451"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Syrian authorities inspect the destroyed house where ISIS leader Qurashi was staying<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>US authorities hold al-Qurashi responsible for the mass killings of the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014&period;<br>&&num;8216&semi;He was responsible for the recent brutal attack on a prison in northeast Syria &&num;8230&semi; He was the driving force behind the genocide of the Yazidi people&comma;&&num;8217&semi; Biden said Thursday&period; &&num;8216&semi;We all remember the gut-wrenching stories&comma; mass slaughters that wiped out entire villages&comma; thousands of women and young girls sold into slavery&comma; rape used as a weapon of war&comma;&&num;8217&semi; President Biden said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-blows-himself-family-up-2&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399446"&sol;><figcaption><strong>An aerial view of wreckages around the site after an operation carried out by US forces targeting a high ranking jihadist in northern Syria last night<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-residence-after-explosion-2&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399484" width&equals;"840" height&equals;"555"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Scene from the carnage that al-Qurashi wrecked on his household &&num;8211&semi; A doll lies among the debris inside the house&period;&nbsp&semi;First responders say the death toll was 13 people&comma; including six children and four women<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Al-Qurayshi-blows-himself-family-up-3&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399450" width&equals;"833" height&equals;"742"&sol;><figcaption><strong>A local resident is seen taking photos of a blood soaked kitchen at the scene of a US anti-terror raid in Atmeh&comma; Idlib<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>On August 7&comma; 2019 Amaq announced that al-Qurashi had taken over day-to-day running of the terror group&comma; while Baghdadi concentrated on drumming up religious fervor in the group&&num;8217&semi;s aims&period;<br>The selection of al-Qurashi as leader generated extensive debate within ISIS&comma; even reaching its members in prison&comma; over whether he was of Turkmen or Arab origin&period; The reasoning being that the &&num;8216&semi;caliph&&num;8217&semi; of ISIS must be a descendant of the prophet Mohammed&comma; therefore an Arab&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>al-Qurashi was keen to prove his Arab origin&period; Until 2020&comma; U&period;S&period; and Iraqi officials believed the head of ISIS was a Turkman&comma; which they weaponized to undermine his claim to leadership&period; However&comma; late reports confirmed his Arab descent&period;&nbsp&semi; He spent his last days in Idlib province&comma; an area held by insurgent groups hostile to IS&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;02&sol;Chopper-crash-before-Al-Qurayshi-kills-himself-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-399458" width&equals;"841" height&equals;"560"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Photo shows the remains of a U&period;S&period; Black Hawk used in the raid on Thursday morning&period; US officials said the helicopter was destroyed after it developed a mechanical problem <&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>al-Qurashi set off a bomb that killed himself as well as members of this family&comma; the White House said&period;&nbsp&semi; Thirteen were killed&comma; including six children and four women during the mission&comma; which involved 24 Special Operations commandos backed by attack jets&comma; Reaper drones and helicopter gunships&period; <br>The raid targeted a large house in Atmeh in the Idlib region of Syria where the ISIS leader was hiding&period; The two-story house was left with its top floor shattered and blood spattered inside&period; <br>The Associated Press reported sighting body parts scattered near the site&period; <br>Al-Arabiya TV suggest three of the four women killed in the raid might have been the wives of the extremist leader&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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