Iraqi Security Official Denies Presence of Baghdadi’s Successor in Iraq

Arab World

May 1st, 8:08am

Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat

The ruins of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s villa in Barisha, Syria, which was destroyed in a US raid after his death. (Yahya Nemah/EPA)

The successor to slain ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is not present in Iraq, a security official said on Thursday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official explained that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi hasn’t entered Iraq since the US raid that killed Baghdadi in Syria in October. Information indicates that Quraishi is located in Syria, the source noted. Iraq’s intelligence and the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS are pursuing Quraishi, he added. The US State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Meanwhile, former head of Parliament's Security and Defense Committee Hakim al-Zamili said 11,000 prisoners have been sentenced to death in Iraq. He said most of them are senior ISIS commanders, and the Iraqi state spends nine dollars per day on each one of them, let alone their medical treatment, the salaries of guards and other expenses. In a televised statement, Zamili said “the state needs 137 years to carry out the executions.” He pointed out that it doesn’t have the will to implement the death sentences. “One million dollars were paid to each of the nine terrorist leaders arrested, in exchange for smuggling them out of the presidential palaces in Basra.” Zamili warned against an ISIS comeback in Iraq due to the internal security differences, and of attempts to smuggle terrorist prisoners from al-Hout Prison.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2262176/iraqi-security-official-denies-presence-baghdadi%E2%80%99s-successor-iraq