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Context: Within days of the elimination of the first caliph of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a US raid in Syria in October 2019, the group named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi its new caliph.

• On February 3, 2022, US forces claimed the elimination of al-Qurashi in a similar raid in Syria. Last week, confirming the death of al-Qurashi, ISIS named one Abu al-Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as its third Caliph.
• Despite the loss of two caliphs, ISIS has continued to show the ability to mount external attacks as far as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, and inspire frequent attacks/plots, especially in Europe.
• ISIS still holds tens of millions of dollars, and has regular sources of revenue.
• The ISIS provinces beyond Iraq and Syria appear to be independent local groups, which are using ISIS platforms and its brand value to recruit locally or regionally.

About Islamic State

• It is an Islamist militant jihadist group and former unrecognized quasi-state that follows a Salafi jihadist doctrine based on the Sunni branch of Islam.
• It was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 1999 and gained global prominence in 2014.
• ISIL originated in 1999, pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, and participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multi-national coalition led by the United States.
• As a caliphate, it claimed religious, political, and military authority over all Muslims
• Its adoption of the name "Islamic State" and its idea of a caliphate have been criticised, with the United Nations, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups rejecting its statehood and legitimacy.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/under-a-new-caliph-why-islamic-state-continues-to-be-a-formidable-threat-7820017/

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