ISIS seeking to reemerge after death of al-Baghdadi

ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack on a checkpoint in Baghdad days after the killing of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The latest terrorist operation is aimed at affirming its presence on the ground after the death of al-Baghdadi.

One Iraqi soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the attack, Iraqi security sources said.

ISIS confirmed the death of former leader al-Baghdadi and named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as new leader in an audio message on Oct. 31.

The protests in Iraq may urge ISIS to reorganize itself in Iraq following the group’s defeat in 2017.

ISIS, aka Daesh, may take advantage of chaos and security vacuum in Iraq to reproduce itself.

Political analyst Mohamed Rabie El-Deehi said the killing of al-Baghdadi has raised questions about the future of ISIS.

“The killing of al-Baghdadi will not affect the future of ISIS as it is well-known that he was not the actual leader who ran the organization,” El-Deehi told THE REFERENCE.

“Al-Baghdadi was just a symbol,” he said, adding that the recent ISIS revenge threats against the United States “cannot be ignored”.

For his part, Abdel Khabir Atta, a professor of political science at Assiut University, said that there are foreign forces, which want terrorism to continue in Iraq.

“ISIS may reemerge again after naming al-Qurashi as new leader. The ideology of ISIS still exists, and the danger is still there,” Atta told THE REFERENCE.

The professor believes that dogmas survive and remain, but under different names.