DAMASCUS (Syria), Nov 30: Islamic State leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed "in combat with enemies" in Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria, the extremist organisation said on Wednesday. It did not provide further details. Abu Hasan was an Iraqi. Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi has been named the new leader.

Abu Hasan became the leader of the IS after the death of his predecessor Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi who was killed in a US raid. Abu Ibrahim's predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a US commando raid in Idlib in 2019.

The Islamic State was formed during the civil war in Syria in the 2000s. It captured parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The IS seeks to create an Islamic caliphate, the then leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared from the Iraqi city of Mosul. However, the IS has given rise to various warring factions over time.