US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration knew the identity of the new Islamic State leader who succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after Trump announced his death in a US operation. France also announced that it had bombed targets of the group in northern Iraq yesterday.
"ISIS has a new leader, we know exactly who he is," the president wrote in a tweet on Twitter, without giving further details about his identity.
This comes a day after the new spokesman for the group, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, in an audio recording of the selection of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, who holds the Saudi national successor to Baghdadi, warning the United States that the organization "staying and expanding" despite the killing of Baghdadi.
"Yesterday, French air strikes bombed several ISIS hideouts and tunnels that we would not have mercy on," French Defense Minister Florence Parli said on Twitter.
She added that the region has witnessed several events, but "France's position is firm and its determination to fight terrorism has not changed," referring to the withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria under Trump's decision.
The French General Staff confirmed that "a Rafale fighter patrol launched a strike on several ISIS hideouts in northeastern Iraq," in coordination with the international coalition, and after a reconnaissance operation by the French Atlantic 2 patrol aircraft.
A US official revealed recently, without revealing his identity, that a meeting of ministers of the international coalition will be held on November 14 in Washington to discuss "the next measures to be taken to increase the presence of the coalition in northeastern Syria."