On October 26, The ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was cornered by United States Military in a night raid before commiting suicide in Idlib Governorate, Syria.

 Al-Baghdadi had committed suicide with the use of a suicide vest after being cornered in a dead end tunnel, and was also stated to have killed 2 children in the blast. ISIS confirmed their leader’s death with an audio message sent over the Telegram app. The message which according to USA Today, was found by SITE Intelligence group which is an american company that tracks online content of extremist groups. Confirmed the death of not only Al-Baghdadi, but also the death of  Abu Hassan al-Muhajir who was a spokesman for the organization, and was killed in a back to back attack after Al-Baghdadi. The message according to the New York Times, also sent a warning to America, saying in a haunting message that, 

“Do not be happy America, for the death of Sheikh al-Baghdadi, and do not forget the cups of death at his hands, may God accept him”.

 the New York Times also goes on to say that In the message they also announced that they had elected a new leader, and this leader was, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi. This news sent some into a confusion as many government officials, and researchers attempted to identify this new leader. Some facts about him that are known are that, within his name is the al-Qurayshi, which is an appellation which indicates that he is a descendant of the Quraysh tribe, of the prophet Muhammad. This appellation is important to the Islamic state as it is one of their prerequisites of being a Caliph, or the leader of a theocracy which is what they hope to achieve. Investigations continue into the new leader that took over for al-Baghdadi, as the government attempts to find clues to his true identity.