Former Saddam Henchman Abdullah Qardash To Be Baghdadi's Successor: Reports

New Delhi: Barely a day after the US troops stormed the compounds of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwestern Syria on Sunday prompting him to blow himself along with his family; the terror outfit already has a successor to him. A former Saddam Hussain army officer named Abdullah Qardash has now taken the terror group's reins, international media reported. According to a report in the Newsweek, Qardash was said to have been nominated by the now deceased al-Baghdadi to run the group's 'Muslim Affairs'.

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Qardash, who is also known as ‘professor’ or ‘destroyer’ served in jail with Baghdadi in the year 2003-04. He was a religious preacher in Al-Qaeda before he joined the Islamic State. Qardash, who originally hails from Iraq, is believed to have taken over a number of duties from Baghdadi, before his demise. In August 2019, Baghdadi had entrusted him with day to day affairs of the terror outfit.

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Qardash was also a confidante of Abu Alaa al-Afri, Baghdadi’s previous deputy, who was killed in a US helicopter gun raid in 2016. Two deputies of Qardash will be Abu Muslim al-Turkmani and Abu Ali al-Anwari. The Shura Council, which constitutes of at least six Islamic insurgent groups, is now left with a decision that could potentially determine the future of ISIS. The council is in search of evidence that would prove Baghdadi’s death.