# Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi

Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (Arabic: أبو حفص الهاشمي القرشي) is the fifth and current caliph of the Islamic State. He was named as caliph on 3 August 2023, in an audio message by the spokesperson of the IS, Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, whose announcement came four months after the death of his predecessor Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi.

## Alleged identity

In August 2023, it was speculated that Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi might be the new identity of either Abu Khadijah al-Iraqi or Abu Al-Muthanna Al-Janubi, two Iraqi Islamic State leaders. In 2024, a United States airstrike in Somalia and coinciding claims by anonymous officials resulted in speculations about Islamic State's Somalia Province leader Abdul Qadir Mumin being Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. However, many researchers and analysts dismissed these claims as highly unlikely. Mumin would not be a Qurayshi which would run counter to the ideology of the Islamic State, and thus endanger the group's self-perceived legitimacy, and also not part of the group's traditional, Iraqi-dominated leadership. Conversely, researchers Austin Doctor and Gina Ligon pointed out that Mumin's experiences with the increasingly important African theater, finances, religious scholarship, and Western culture also provided potential benefits if he had been appointed to a leading position.

## Life

Very little is known about Abu Hafs' early life. IS only admitted that he was a long-serving veteran of the group.
Following the death of Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, the IS Majlis-ash-Shura (consultation council) discussed a potential successor as caliph. The shura mutually agreed to appoint Abu Hafs who officially took over the IS leadership on 3 August 2023. He was announced as caliph by Islamic State's official spokesmen Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, in an audio message broadcast by Al-Furqan Media Foundation (Islamic State's primary media outlet). As the announcement also cited a number of medieval Islamic scholars like al-Mazari and al-Nawawi in support of Abu Hafs' caliphate, some researchers such as M. Nureddin argued that Abu Hafs' rise had been contentious within the IS high command. Nureddin argued that these issues necessitated that the validity of the allegiance to Abu Hafs was bolstered by citing renowned past scholars. However, researcher Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi disagreed, instead arguing that the references to al-Mazari and al-Nawawi were merely supposed to emphasize that Abu Hafs could be a valid IS leader despite remaining "behind a veil of obscurity for security reasons". In general, Al-Tamimi described Abu Hafs as the third in a line of IS "caliphs of the shadows" or "faceless caliphs", as very little was known about him or his predecessors Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi and Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi compared to the first two IS caliphs.
The global network of IS quickly pledged loyalty to Abu Hafs, ranging from large sections such as the West Africa Province to smaller groups like the Yemen Province. There was also a pledge of loyalty by a group in Sudan, though IS had not previously admitted a presence in this country. At the time of the appointment of Abu Hafs, IS was experiencing a resurgence in Syria, with its forces increasing their attacks on the Syrian government as well as civilians. However, the group was still under extreme pressure in both Syria and Iraq, evidenced by the quick succession of killed leaders. Regardless, Abu Hafs and the remaining IS central command seemed convinced to remain in the region and not to relocate, as they still considered the Middle East their heartland.
In June 2024, according to a U.S. assessment reported by Voice of America, rumors suggested that Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi had relocated from Syria or Iraq, passing through Yemen, and ultimately linked up with the Islamic State's Somalia Province. This however was unconfirmed.

### Major attacks under Abu Hafs' leadership

Many high-profile terror attacks (not including military engagements) have been conducted by IS across the globe during Abu Hafs' tenure as caliph, with a major surge in external operations in Europe and North America, such as:
* The 2023 Damascus Ashura bombings in Syria
* The 2023 Khar bombing in Pakistan
* The 2023 Brussels shooting in Belgium
* The 2023 Marawi bombing in the Philippines
* The 2024 Kerman bombings in Iran
* The 2024 Istanbul church shooting in Turkey
* The 2024 Balochistan bombings in Pakistan
* The 2024 Kandahar New Kabul Bank bombing in Afghanistan
* The 2024 Crocus City Hall attack in Russia
* The 2024 Bamyan shooting in Afghanistan
* The 2024 Beirut US embassy shooting in Lebanon (possibly)
* The 2024 Dagestan attacks in Russia
* The 2024 attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in Serbia
* The 2024 Muscat mosque shooting in Oman
* The Surovikino penal colony hostage crisis in Russia
* The 2024 Solingen stabbings in Germany
* The 2024 Qala Bakhtiar bombing in Afghanistan
* The Tarmuwa massacre in Nigeria
* The 2024 Qorodal bus shooting in Afghanistan
* The 2025 New Orleans truck attack in the United States
* The 2025 Villach stabbing attack in Austria
These attacks include; the group's 4th and deadliest ever attack in Iran (2024 Kerman bombings), the group's deadliest ever attack in Russia, and in Europe as a whole (2024 Crocus City Hall attack), the group's first attack in Turkey since 2017 (2024 Istanbul church shooting), the group's first attack in Germany since 2016 (2024 Solingen stabbing), and the group's first ever attack in Oman (2024 Muscat mosque shooting), with all of these attacks taking place in 2024. Then within the first 3 hours of 2025, an IS supporter carried out the first successful IS-inspired attack in the United States since 2017 (2025 New Orleans truck attack). This shows the group's renewed ability to carry out major external operations across the globe.