• Home
  • About RSIS
    • Introduction
    • Building the Foundations
    • Welcome Message
    • Board of Governors
    • Staff Profiles
      • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
      • Dean’s Office
      • Management
      • Distinguished Fellows
      • Faculty and Research
      • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
      • Visiting Fellows
      • Adjunct Fellows
      • Administrative Staff
    • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
    • RSIS Endowment Fund
    • Endowed Professorships
    • Career Opportunities
    • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
    • Research Centres
      • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
      • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
      • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
      • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
      • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
    • Research Programmes
      • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
      • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
    • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
    • [email protected] Newsletter
    • Other Research
      • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Programmes Office
    • Overview
    • MSc (Asian Studies)
    • MSc (International Political Economy)
    • MSc (International Relations)
    • MSc (Strategic Studies)
    • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
    • PhD Programme
    • Exchange Partners and Programmes
    • How to Apply
    • Financial Assistance
    • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
    • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
    • Alumni
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
    • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
    • SRP Executive Programme
    • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
    • RSIS Publications
      • Annual Reviews
      • Books
      • Bulletins and Newsletters
      • Commentaries
      • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
      • Commemorative / Event Reports
      • IDSS Paper
      • Interreligious Relations
      • Monographs
      • NTS Insight
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • RSIS Publications for the Year
    • Glossary of Abbreviations
    • External Publications
      • Authored Books
      • Journal Articles
      • Edited Books
      • Chapters in Edited Books
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • Op-Eds
      • External Publications for the Year
    • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
    • Great Powers
    • Sustainable Security
    • Other Resource Pages
    • Media Highlights
    • News Releases
    • Speeches
    • Vidcast Channel
    • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsis.sg
Linkedin
instagram instagram rsis.sg
RSS
  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
      • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
      • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
      • SRP Executive Programme
      • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
      • RSIS Publications
        • Annual Reviews
        • Books
        • Bulletins and Newsletters
        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
        • Commemorative / Event Reports
        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
        • Monographs
        • NTS Insight
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
      • Glossary of Abbreviations
      • External Publications
        • Authored Books
        • Journal Articles
        • Edited Books
        • Chapters in Edited Books
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • Op-Eds
        • External Publications for the Year
      • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
      • Great Powers
      • Sustainable Security
      • Other Resource Pages
      • Media Highlights
      • News Releases
      • Speeches
      • Vidcast Channel
      • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • instagram instagram rsis.sg
Connect

Getting to RSIS

Map

Address

Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B3,
50 Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

View location on Google maps Click here for directions to RSIS

Get in Touch

    Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
    RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
    instagram instagram rsis.sg
      RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    RSIS Intranet

    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
    Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University

    Skip to content

     
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • Abdullah Qardash: IS Successor to Al-Baghdadi?
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • Commentaries
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • IDSS Paper
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers
    • RSIS Publications for the Year

    CO19184 | Abdullah Qardash: IS Successor to Al-Baghdadi?
    Remy Mahzam

    20 September 2019

    download pdf
    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due credit to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected].

    SYNOPSIS

    Abdullah Qardash, a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s army who rose through Islamic State’s ranks, was reported recently to be the successor to current leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This is perhaps the first time a successor to the world’s most reclusive extremist leader has been mentioned. reflecting IS’ struggle to re-assert itself as a global movement.

    COMMENTARY

    AMAQ, a news agency affiliated with  Islamic State (IS), had reported on 7 August 2019 that the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has appointed Abdullah Qardash as his successor. The appointment came at a time when speculations are widespread concerning al-Baghdadi’s deteriorating health after he was injured during a battle in Hajin last year. Qardash’s promotion as al-Baghdadi’s successor can be seen as not only an attempt to restore confidence amongst members but also reinvigorate a fresh series of attacks and possible revival of the IS terror franchise.

    Al-Baghdadi is literally the last man standing among the group’s founding members and was last seen in an 18-minute video message on 29 April 2019 rallying his supporters while acknowledging the group’s defeat by US-led Kurdish forces. Many IS top leaders were killed in the siege in Eastern-Syria and the remaining fighters have dispersed and resumed guerilla warfare elsewhere.

    Who is Abdullah Qardash?

    Abdullah Qardash is from Tal Afar, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city in northwestern Iraq. He is a graduate of an Islamic Sciences college in Mosul and had served as an army officer during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Close to al-Baghdadi’s deputy, Abu Ala al-Afri, who was killed in 2016, Qardash was nicknamed the “Professor” and the “Destroyer” and was recognised as a brutal policymaker in the group. Described by some security analysts as cruel and authoritarian yet popular and well-respected among other IS members, Qardash was responsible for eliminating those who are against al-Baghdadi’s style of leadership.

    Qardash shares a history with al-Baghdadi. The two were imprisoned together at Camp Bucca detention centre in Basra by the US forces over their links to al-Qaeda in 2003. Camp Bucca was where al-Baghdadi forged close alliances with other inmates while refining his vision for the so-called Caliphate.  Qardash had served as a religious commissar and a general sharia judge for al-Qaeda before pledging his allegiance to the IS. 

    In choosing his heir, al-Baghdadi would have taken into account his potential candidate’s historical background and religious legitimacy, according to IS’ beliefs. Qardash is assumed to be from the Quraysh tribe and belonging to the Prophet’s family (otherwise known as Ahl al-Bayt) thus making him a seemingly eligible nominee as a future caliph. Being a former Iraqi officer under Saddam’s regime and schooled at a religious college, Qardash would also be knowledgeable in Islamic jurisprudence and history.  

    Security analysts have, however, noted that Qardash is not the only potential successor to al-Baghdadi. For example, there are three other IS legacy senior members, Amir Muhammad Said Abdal-Rahman Al Mawla, Sami Jasim Muhammad Al Jaburi and Mu’taz Numan ‘Abd Nayif Najm Al Jaburi, who have been listed by US State Department’s Rewards for Justice. Some reports have also emerged casting doubts over the veracity of the Amaq announcements over Qardash’s anointment as Baghdadi’s successor.

    IS After Al-Baghdadi

    A source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry has said that al-Baghdadi is still in Syria and suffering from paralysis in his limbs after being wounded during an attack in Deir ez-Zor in 2018. Although he is reported to have only a small circle of followers left and also believed to suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure, the IS leader continues to have a strong influence and is obeyed among his Arab and foreign followers.

    Assuming that Qardash is the real successor, his role might be limited to logistics and administration. Qardash might not have the same vigour, spiritual influence and capacity to be the self-proclaimed leader of all Muslims, a position that al-Baghdadi had assumed in 2014. Al-Baghdadi’s caliphate declaration in 2014 has been strongly objected by Islamic scholars worldwide as he falls short of the requirements and credentials needed as a caliph. Qardash could face similar challenges if he becomes the next caliph. 

    Since the fall of Baghouz, IS’ last urban stronghold in March this year, the group has been reduced to pockets of resistance. Even if Qardash successfully takes over al-Baghdadi, he will face a divided leadership within the IS ranks whose members are scattered in cells across Iraq and Syria. The various factions that have emerged among the Tunisian, Saudi and Iraqi leadership may even cause some to reject Qardash’s vision and strategy as a leader.

    Notwithstanding its territorial defeat, IS has not been beaten as a terrorist organisation. In the latest IS video series “The Best Outcome is for the Pious” released in July, renewed bai’ah (pledges of allegiance) were made to al-Baghdadi by militants in 12 countries. The videos prove that IS militants in several parts of the world still remain loyal to their leader. Whether it’s Qardash or others, al-Baghdadi’s successor will have a committed militant following backing them still in the near to mid-term.

    About the Author

    Remy Mahzam is an Associate Research Fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (RSIS), Singapore.

    Categories: Commentaries /

    Last updated on 20/09/2019

    comments powered by Disqus
    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due credit to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected].

    SYNOPSIS

    Abdullah Qardash, a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s army who rose through Islamic State’s ranks, was reported recently to be the successor to current leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This is perhaps the first time a successor to the world’s most reclusive extremist leader has been mentioned. reflecting IS’ struggle to re-assert itself as a global movement.

    COMMENTARY

    AMAQ, a news agency affiliated with  Islamic State (IS), had reported on 7 August 2019 that the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has appointed Abdullah Qardash as his successor. The appointment came at a time when speculations are widespread concerning al-Baghdadi’s deteriorating health after he was injured during a battle in Hajin last year. Qardash’s promotion as al-Baghdadi’s successor can be seen as not only an attempt to restore confidence amongst members but also reinvigorate a fresh series of attacks and possible revival of the IS terror franchise.

    Al-Baghdadi is literally the last man standing among the group’s founding members and was last seen in an 18-minute video message on 29 April 2019 rallying his supporters while acknowledging the group’s defeat by US-led Kurdish forces. Many IS top leaders were killed in the siege in Eastern-Syria and the remaining fighters have dispersed and resumed guerilla warfare elsewhere.

    Who is Abdullah Qardash?

    Abdullah Qardash is from Tal Afar, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city in northwestern Iraq. He is a graduate of an Islamic Sciences college in Mosul and had served as an army officer during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Close to al-Baghdadi’s deputy, Abu Ala al-Afri, who was killed in 2016, Qardash was nicknamed the “Professor” and the “Destroyer” and was recognised as a brutal policymaker in the group. Described by some security analysts as cruel and authoritarian yet popular and well-respected among other IS members, Qardash was responsible for eliminating those who are against al-Baghdadi’s style of leadership.

    Qardash shares a history with al-Baghdadi. The two were imprisoned together at Camp Bucca detention centre in Basra by the US forces over their links to al-Qaeda in 2003. Camp Bucca was where al-Baghdadi forged close alliances with other inmates while refining his vision for the so-called Caliphate.  Qardash had served as a religious commissar and a general sharia judge for al-Qaeda before pledging his allegiance to the IS. 

    In choosing his heir, al-Baghdadi would have taken into account his potential candidate’s historical background and religious legitimacy, according to IS’ beliefs. Qardash is assumed to be from the Quraysh tribe and belonging to the Prophet’s family (otherwise known as Ahl al-Bayt) thus making him a seemingly eligible nominee as a future caliph. Being a former Iraqi officer under Saddam’s regime and schooled at a religious college, Qardash would also be knowledgeable in Islamic jurisprudence and history.  

    Security analysts have, however, noted that Qardash is not the only potential successor to al-Baghdadi. For example, there are three other IS legacy senior members, Amir Muhammad Said Abdal-Rahman Al Mawla, Sami Jasim Muhammad Al Jaburi and Mu’taz Numan ‘Abd Nayif Najm Al Jaburi, who have been listed by US State Department’s Rewards for Justice. Some reports have also emerged casting doubts over the veracity of the Amaq announcements over Qardash’s anointment as Baghdadi’s successor.

    IS After Al-Baghdadi

    A source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry has said that al-Baghdadi is still in Syria and suffering from paralysis in his limbs after being wounded during an attack in Deir ez-Zor in 2018. Although he is reported to have only a small circle of followers left and also believed to suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure, the IS leader continues to have a strong influence and is obeyed among his Arab and foreign followers.

    Assuming that Qardash is the real successor, his role might be limited to logistics and administration. Qardash might not have the same vigour, spiritual influence and capacity to be the self-proclaimed leader of all Muslims, a position that al-Baghdadi had assumed in 2014. Al-Baghdadi’s caliphate declaration in 2014 has been strongly objected by Islamic scholars worldwide as he falls short of the requirements and credentials needed as a caliph. Qardash could face similar challenges if he becomes the next caliph. 

    Since the fall of Baghouz, IS’ last urban stronghold in March this year, the group has been reduced to pockets of resistance. Even if Qardash successfully takes over al-Baghdadi, he will face a divided leadership within the IS ranks whose members are scattered in cells across Iraq and Syria. The various factions that have emerged among the Tunisian, Saudi and Iraqi leadership may even cause some to reject Qardash’s vision and strategy as a leader.

    Notwithstanding its territorial defeat, IS has not been beaten as a terrorist organisation. In the latest IS video series “The Best Outcome is for the Pious” released in July, renewed bai’ah (pledges of allegiance) were made to al-Baghdadi by militants in 12 countries. The videos prove that IS militants in several parts of the world still remain loyal to their leader. Whether it’s Qardash or others, al-Baghdadi’s successor will have a committed militant following backing them still in the near to mid-term.

    About the Author

    Remy Mahzam is an Associate Research Fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (RSIS), Singapore.

    Categories: Commentaries

    Last updated on 20/09/2019

    Back to top

    Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
    Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
    This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
    OK
    Latest Book
    Abdullah Qardash: IS Successor to Al-Baghdadi?

    SYNOPSIS

    Abdullah Qardash, a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s army who rose through Islamic Stat ...
    more info