Islamic State confirms leader was killed in US strike, terror group names new chief

The Islamic State group confirmed for the first time on Thursday that its leader was killed in a US strike in Syria last month and named his successor.

It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi death. US officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in Syrian town of Atmeh on February 3.

In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesman confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid.

Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the next caliph.

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In the US raid, about 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria's civil war.