Abdul Nasser Qardash عبد الناصر قرداش | |
|---|---|
| Deputy to theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant's Caliph | |
| In office 2016 – c. 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Abu Ali al-Anbari |
| Succeeded by | unknown |
| Emir of the Delegated Committee | |
| In office 2016–? | |
| Deputy emir of the Delegated Committee | |
| In office 2014–2016 | |
| Governor ofal-Barakah | |
| In office 2014 – c. 2014/15 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tahah Abdel Rahim Abdallah Bakr al-Ghassani 1967 (age 57–58) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ba'athist Iraq(prior to 2003) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
| Branch/service | Military of ISIL |
| Years of service | 2003–2020 |
| Commands | Wilayat al-Sham[1] |
| Battles/wars | |
Abdul Nasser Qardash (Arabic:عبد الناصر قرداش;[2] born 1967; sometimes identified asAbdel Nasser Qirdash or Kardesh, also known asHajji Abdullah al-Turkmani) is anIraqi militant who in 2019 was wrongly reported as the leader of theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He was also nicknamed "The Professor" and "Destroyer".[3] Qardash was a high-ranking and very influential member of ISIL with close connections to its first caliph,Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and tipped as a potential candidate for ISIL leadership succession. However days after the death of al-Baghdadi,Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was ultimately chosen as the new declared leader of ISIL. Qardash was captured by Iraqi security forces in 2020.
Born as "Tahah Abdel Rahim Abdallah Bakr al-Ghassani" in the mainlyIraqi Turkmen city ofTal Afar, Iraq, in 1967,[4] Qardash is an ethnicTurkmen. He studied in the Islamic Sciences college in the nearby city ofMosul.[5] He lived in Mosul's Musharafah neighborhood during his early years.[4] Qardash was a Major General within the army ofSaddam Hussein,[1][6][7] but became part of theAnsar al-Islam rebel group in 2003.[4] Qardash was jailed in 2003–2004[8] or 2005[4] by the US authorities with al-Baghdadi inCamp Bucca, a detention facility inBasra, following the invasion of Iraq and the ousting of Saddam Hussein's regime.[9][10]
Qardash joined theIslamic State of Iraq in 2007.[4] He became a religious commissar in ISI inNineveh, later inal-Jazira, and in early 2008 became ISI's "wali" of al-Jazira. He organized a number of military operations against Iraqi forces on behalf of ISI. In early 2010, he became assistant and consequently, with the approval ofAbu Omar al-Baghdadi "wali" of the northern provinces includingMosul, South Mosul, al-Jazira andKirkuk.
At the end of 2011, Qardash metAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi[4][11][12] who appointed him as governor of the Baghdad province serving in the Baghdad region. He was trusted with the industry and development portfolios for ISIL.[13] He reportedly played a major part in convincing al-Baghdadi to branch out intoSyria during the earlySyrian civil war.[4] Qardash consequently moved to Syria to establish firearm and explosive factories and storage facilities, and met Al-Baghdadi almost a hundred times for coordination of ISIL operations. After the rift between ISIL andAl Nusra Front, he was assigned governor "wali" of al-Sharqiyyah including SyrianAl-Hasaka, Deir ez-Zor andRaqqa.[13] In early 2014, he was appointed wali of ISIL'sal-Barakah province.[4]
After the declaration of ISIL's caliphate, he rose further in the ranks. He was appointed deputyemir of the Delegated Committee.[4] He served as assistant toAbu Mohammad al-Adnani. After the latter's death on 30 August 2016, Qardash was appointed emir of the Delegated Committee after al-Adnani[4][14] and deputy leader to Caliph al-Baghdadi .[4][13] At some point, he questioned al-Baghdadi's decisions and was punished, but still retained general favor. He became the "supervisor of development and manufacturing", holding this position unil 2017.[4] He was known as "The Professor", because he graduated in Islamic Studies in Mosul, whereas the nickname "The Destroyer" stemmed from his reputation as a ruthless persecutor. He is also famous as head of security for Islamic State operatives, and as the coordinator of ISIL terrorist cells in North Africa and Europe.[3]
During theInternational military intervention against ISIL, Qardash oversaw operations against theFree Syrian Army inAleppo and theSyrian Arab Army inDeir ez-Zor. Qardash also personally oversaw the selection of suicide bombers and the conduct of suicide operations for the Islamic State.[15] He supervised the fabrication and storage of mustard gas eventually used against Iraqi forces. Qardash also helped command ISIL troops in theSiege of Kobanî, variousPalmyra offensives (Tadmur), and finally during theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani,Baghuz being the last stronghold of ISIL in Syria.[13] At the end of the operations in Baghuz on 23 March 2019, he surrendered and was arrested.[13] As of 2014, Qardash was in his mid-50s.[15]
There were reports, refuted later, that Qardash assumed the position of leadership of ISIL on 27 October 2019 following the death of ISIL leaderAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi in theBarisha raid conducted by theUnited States Army in northwestSyria.[16] A statement in August 2019 attributed to ISIL's propaganda arm, theAmaq News Agency, said that Qardash had been named al-Baghdadi's successor.[17][7]
Some analysts dismissed the statement about Qardash assuming ISIL leadership as a fabrication.[18]Rita Katz, a terrorism analyst and the co-founder ofSITE Intelligence, noted that the statement used a different font when compared to other statements and it was never distributed on Amaq or ISIL channels.[19]
The allegedly false statement re-emerged in October 2019 following the death of al-Baghdadi, and was reported on by several news organizations, includingNewsweek.[20] A few days later, on 31 October, ISIL presentedAbu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the name of the individual who was Baghdadi's successor,[21] and not Qardash.
Hisham al-Hashimi, an ISIL analyst and counter-terrorism advisor to the Iraqi government,[22] said in October 2019 that, according to Iraqi intelligence sources, Qardash had died in 2017 and his daughter was being held by Iraqi intelligence.[23] He said Qardash's death had been confirmed by both his daughter and other relatives.[24] As of 31 October, his death has not been confirmed by other sources.[18]
The Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) said in May 2020 that they had taken custody of Abdul Nasser Qardash.[25] Qardash is the highest ranking Islamic State officer to ever be taken into custody. INIS issued a statement saying "Today, the terrorist named Abdul Nasser al-Qardash, the candidate to succeed the criminal al-Baghdadi, was arrested. The arrest came after accurate intelligence." INIS also distributed a picture of a somber and thin Qardash wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt.
On 21 May 2020, the Iraqi National Intelligence Services further elaborated that Qardash was in charge of manufacturingchemical warfare agents to attack Iraqi troops. It said: "Qardash was responsible for the production and development ofmustard gas, which was used for attacking Iraqi forces across the country. He plays a prominent role in the negotiation process between the group [ISIL] and its factions, as well as with other terrorist movements".[citation needed]
There are conflicting reports however that Qardash may have been initially arrested in Syria in 2019 by Kurdish forces but was handed over to the Iraqi authorities only recently (May 2020).[26] TheSyrian Democratic Forces affiliated with the KurdishPeople's Protection Units (YPG) had captured Qardash after theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani and kept him for months before delivering him to the Iraqi authorities. SDF/YPG quoted his full name asTaha Abdel Rahim Abdallah Bakr Al-Ghassani Al-Makni Hajji Abdul Nasser Qardash (Arabic:طه عبد الرحيم عبد الله بكر الغساني المكنى حجي عبد الناصر قرداش), also known asAbu Muhammad, born in 1967 inTel Afar and living in Hayy Mshayrfeh,Mosul.[27] His transfer to Iraq was coordinated with the US-led International Coalition.[citation needed]
After his capture, al-Qardash confirmed in an interview withAl Arabiya television: "There was a massive reevaluation of the Islamic State after it lost vast areas including Kobani and many other areas. There were three of us, myself [Qardash],Omar al-Furkan and Ayoub Rakawi, who sat with the leadership to review our steps."[28] After the death of Al-Baghdadi, none of the three emerged as ISIL leader asAbu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was declared the eventual leader and caliph of the Islamic State.[29]