The new leader of the Islamic State has been confirmed as Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi.
He reportedly took over from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after the terrorist leader killed himself in October. The extremist cleric blew himself up by detonating a suicide belt after running into a dead-end and dragging two of his children with him to their deaths.
Al-Salbi, was made leader just hours after al-Baghdadi died, according to officials from two intelligence services.
The Mosul-born leader is one of the group’s founding members who brought in brutal Sharia Law in Iraq and Syria. He is considered to be one of the most influential ideologues among the now depleted ranks of ISIS.
Al-Salbi, who is also known by the nom de guerre Haji Abdullah, and in some circles as Abdullah Qardash, was born into an Iraqi Turkmen family in the town of Tal Afar.
As a chief legislator, al-Salbi, who is one of the few non-Arabs among the leadership thay ordered homosexuals be thrown off roofs and women accused of adultery be stoned.
Before Baghdadi’s death, the US state department put a $5m bounty on Salbi’s head and on two other senior members of the group.
