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US Department of Defense/Reuters
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself after US special forces found him in north-west Syria
The Islamic State (IS) group has confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and named his successor.
An IS outlet on messaging service Telegram said Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi had been named new leader.
US special forces tracked down Baghdadi in north-west Syria at the weekend and attacked his compound.
The IS leader fled into a tunnel and killed himself and two children using a suicide vest.
Baghdadi was declared leader of the extremist group in 2014 when IS took control of huge swathes of Iraq and Syria and imposed its rule over the civilian population.
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In an audio message, IS also confirmed the death of spokesman Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir – who was killed in a separate joint US-Kurdish operation on 27 October. The Saudi national had been considered a potential successor to Baghdadi.
New IS spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi also called on Muslims to swear allegiance to al-Qurayshi.
Meanwhile the US has released its first images of the raid that targeted Baghdadi.
The head of US Central Command, Gen Kenneth McKenzie, said the destroyed buildings were left looking like “a parking lot with large potholes”.
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