Report: Islamic State Finds Replacement After Leader's Injury
Following reports that the leader of the Islamic State terror group had been seriously wounded in a recent U.S.-led airstrike, sources close to the terror group claim a replacement has been found to take over the leader's duties.
Recent reports indicate that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been seriously injured in a U.S.-coalition led airstrike in Nineveh, near the Syrian border, in mid-March.
While previous reports regarding al-Baghdadi's alleged injuries have proven false, sources close to the terrorist group claim that a temporary replacement for Baghdadi has been found in light of his recent injury.
As Iraqi government adviser Hisham al Hashimi recently told Newsweek, the terrorist group has employed Abu Alaa Afri, a physics teacher, as Baghdadi's temporary replacement. Hashimi told the media outlet that Afri could even become the permanent Islamic State leader if Baghdadi does not recover from his injuries.
"After Baghdadi's wounding, he [Afri] has begun to head up [the Islamic State] with the help of officials responsible for other portfolios," Hashimi told the media outlet. "He will be the leader of Daesh if Baghdadi dies."
"He was a physics teacher in Tal Afar in Nineveh, and has dozens of publications and religious studies of his own,"Hashimi continued. "He is a follower of Abu Musaab al-Suri [a jihadi scholar]."
Hashimi previously confirmed Baghdadi's alleged injury to The Guardian, saying "Yes, he was wounded in al-Baaj near the village of Umm al-Rous on 18 March with a group that was with him."
