Third ISIS leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi killed in battle

The terror group have confirmed their leader has been killed in battle- ISIS’s third head to have met a violent death.

The Islamic State jihadist group said its leader has been killed in battle, the third head of the violent extremist faction to have met a violent death.

A spokesperson for the group said Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, an Iraqi, was killed “in combat with enemies of God”, without elaborating on the date of his death or the circumstances.

The US military said al-Qurayshi was killed in mid-October adding that the operation was conducted by Syrian rebels in Syria’s southern province of Daraa.

ISIS said its leader has been killed in battle. Picture: Getty Images.

However, it was not clear why the announcement was made on Wednesday, more than a month after al-Qurayshi was killed.

“We are pleased to see the removal of ISIS leaders in such quick succession,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“The United States remains committed to countering the global threat from ISIS and stands ready to work with international partners.”

However, Ms Jean-Pierre didn’t comment on any US involvement in the operation that led to Hashimi’s death.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing. Picture: AFP.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “We welcome the announcement that another leader from ISIS is no longer walking in the face of the Earth.”

Daraa province is mostly controlled by Syrian government forces and rebels who have reached understandings with the regime.

In mid-October, Damascus said it had launched a joint operation against ISIS with former rebels in the south of the province.

Prior to al-Qurayshi’s death, little had been known about him after he took over the group’s leadership following the death of his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a US raid in February in northwest Syria.

A masked Islamic State soldier poses holding a banner. Picture: Getty Images.

His predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed, also in Idlib, in October 2019.

In January, ISIS launched a major attack on a prison housing fellow jihadists in northeastern Syria, in a jailbreak attempt that triggered a week of deadly clashes.

Hundreds of ISIS prisoners, including senior leaders, were thought to have escaped, with some crossing to neighbouring Turkey or Turkish-held territory in northern Syria, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Pentagon warned on Tuesday that a threatened Turkish ground operation against Kurdish targets in Syria would “severely jeopardise” gains made in the war against ISIS.

Originally published as Third ISIS leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi killed in battle