Who Will Be The New Face Of ISIS Following Baghdadi's Death?

While the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) is yet to acknowledge the death of its leader, a long-time companion of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seems to be in line to lead the ISIS, which according to reports is expanding around the globe.

Known as Abdallah Qardash in Jihadi circles, Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla is the leading candidate to take over ISIS after Baghdadi’s death. Malwa and Baghdadi have known each other for at least 15 years, with both of them being detained in the same prison, run by the U.S., after Iraq was invaded by the coalition forces in 2003, CNN reported.

Mawla was a Baathist officer when Saddam Hussein ruled, before joining up with the insurgents after the U.S. invasion and getting caught. After being released from prison, both Malwa and Baghdadi joined up with Al-Qaeda in Iraq, before they rebranded themselves to the Islamic state.

Malwa is known as a religious scholar in the Jihadi circles, dating back to his time in Al-Qaeda. He also helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter, and trafficking of the Yazidi religious minority in northwest Iraq after ISIS had taken over Mosul and Tal Afar. Thousands of Yazidi men were murdered and women and children were enslaved in what the U.S. called genocide.

In August, the U.S. government added a reward of up to $5 million for information that would lead to the capture of Malwa, stating, “he is a potential successor to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."

According to Cole Bunzel, editor of Jihadica, Malwa has also been frequently referred to as the leader of the so-called Delegated Committee, ISIS's executive body, who appears to exercise more day-to-day control over the group than Baghdadi himself.

While President Donald Trump has stated that the terrorist group is 100 percent defeated after the death of its leader, there are many politicians and experts who believe otherwise.

Defense officials monitoring the ISIS in Iraq and Afghan have warned that the organization has been growing in strength recently. According to reports they have reverted to guerilla tactics and assassinations which helped them win over territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

While Trump has deemed the assassination of Baghdadi even bigger than Osama Bin-Laden’s, certain experts believe that the recent re-emergence of the ISIS should be credited to a much newer hierarchy and not the old guard.

And while the death of their leader is being mourned by hardcore ISIS supporters, they see this as a chance to reunite and celebrate the martyrdom of their leader rather than mourning it, Rita Katz, head of SITE intelligence told CNN.

In short, the fall of one leader would not hold back an organization like ISIS which has international reach. A now-deceased senior leader of ISIS Abu Muhammad al Adnani once said, "We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it."