In the midst of the "complete silence" surrounding ISIS leader Abdullah Qardash, who remains in hiding, questions about his whereabouts emerge as the caliphate collapses and the organization retreats, despite some terrorist operations surfacing occasionally in Iraq and Syria. Recently, footage featuring "Hajji Abdullah" from 14 years ago has surfaced. The video, published by the Iraqi site "Al-Hal," shows the successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi discussing a doctoral thesis at the University of Mosul.
The clips reveal a young man with a turban, engaging in conversation with several Iraqi doctors and professors. While Al Arabiya.net could not fully confirm the identity of the speaker despite the significant resemblance between the student and the current ISIS leader, several journalists, media figures on social media, and Iraqi activists have affirmed the video's authenticity.
The security expert and armed groups researcher Fadel Abu Raghif had previously revealed in an interview with Al Arabiya.net that Abdullah Qardash's father was a preacher at the Al-Furqan Mosque in Mosul, and the ISIS leader was influenced by him due to his eloquence and rhetoric. He also noted that Hajji Abdullah was referred to as "the professor" as he graduated from the College of Islamic Sciences in Mosul, and was not an officer as was previously rumored. It is worth mentioning that the U.S. State Department has placed a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of "Hajji Abdullah."
