[Global Issue+] Death of Al-Quraishi, the IS Leader Identified by US Counterterrorism Sources

Religious Scholar Joined Terrorist Organization... Called IS Strategist
IS, Al-Qaeda, Houthi Rebels Expand Influence, Worsening Oil Supply Chain Instability

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] The United States has publicly announced the elimination of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the leader of the international terrorist organization Islamic State (IS), drawing attention to the potential impact on the Middle East situation. Given his trajectory?from an Iraqi army officer to a U.S. military counterterrorism informant, then a religious leader of al-Qaeda, and finally the leader of IS?it remains unclear how significant a blow his death will actually be to IS.

Since 2019, when IS was believed to have been dismantled, the group has continued to expand its influence, launching various terrorist and military activities across Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, raising concerns within the international community. The resurgence of such extremist terrorist organizations could significantly affect the already soaring international oil and energy prices. Moving forward, managing these forces is expected to become a critical issue not only for Middle Eastern countries but also for the global community.

From U.S. Military Counterterrorism Informant to IS Leader: The Reason Behind al-Qurashi’s Rise

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In fact, al-Qurashi is known as a leader with an unusual background even within IS. According to The New York Times (NYT), born in 1976, he belonged to the Turkmen ethnic minority in Iraq and was originally a religious scholar who majored in Islamic Sharia law at Mosul University in Iraq. During Saddam Hussein’s regime, he reportedly served as an Iraqi army officer.

After Saddam Hussein’s death in the 2003 Iraq War, he joined the international terrorist organization al-Qaeda. Later, after being captured by U.S. forces, he served as an informant for the U.S. military. According to U.S. government reports, between late 2007 and 2008, after being detained in an Iraqi terrorism suspect detention facility, al-Qurashi provided extensive information about organization members and was considered highly cooperative with the U.S. military.

Because of this, when he later joined IS, there was reportedly significant opposition within the organization. Especially when he was named successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader who died in October 2019, IS and its various branches strongly resisted his appointment. Claims that his death would have little impact on IS stem from this background.

Nonetheless, within the organization, it is known that as a doctor of Islamic religious studies, he played a key role as a strategist and commanded considerable forces, leading to a prevailing analysis that his death will deal a major blow to IS.

IS Cells Spread Across the Middle East...Concerns Over Oil Supply Disruption

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

What the Middle Eastern countries and the international community are truly concerned about is that his death could serve as a catalyst to unify the IS branches scattered in cell-like formations throughout the Middle East. Although IS suffered devastating losses after al-Baghdadi’s death in 2019, it has been expanding its influence again amid the chaos in Iraq and Syria and the civil war in Afghanistan.

The operational range of these IS branches is known to be very wide. Small groups are reportedly hiding not only in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan but also in Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Iran, and even in countries such as Turkey, France, and Belgium in Europe.

If terrorist activities intensify across the Middle East, international oil prices will be significantly affected. Recently, the Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), causing oil prices to surge. Given that energy prices for oil and natural gas have already risen sharply due to concerns over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there is growing international concern that this situation could further fuel price increases.