Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

‘Cooperative’ US military detainee became IS leader after release, documents reveal

‘Cooperative’ US military detainee became IS leader after release, documents reveal

The terrorist who now leads Islamic State was once a prisoner of the US military and provided his captors with extensive intelligence before being let go, declassified reports show.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi was appointed head of the so-called caliphate in October 2019, following the death of the terror group’s previous leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a US raid in Syria.

Far from being a shadowy mystery, al-Qurashi is well-known to US counterterrorism officials – because he was once a prisoner of US-led coalition forces operating in Iraq.

Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal Rahman al-Mawla – his given name – was captured in late 2007 or early 2008 and subjected to dozens of interrogations by US military officials. At the time he was a mid-level official within the Islamic State of Iraq, which later became Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS).

While the US military had previously disclosed that al-Mawla had been a detainee, a tranche of recently released interrogation reports shed new light on his time in US custody.

The documents show the Iraqi man as eager to provide information to his captors.

“Detainee seems to be more cooperative with every session,” one of the reports read, referring to al-Mawla, adding that he was “providing a lot of information” about his associates in the terror group.

He seemed particularly willing to divulge details about his rivals in the organizations. For example, he drew maps of the compound used by Islamic State’s second-in-command, and also provided the name of the terrorist’s personal courier. US forces later killed the senior IS commander in a raid in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2008.

Al-Mawla also divulged the location of the secret headquarters of the terror groups’ media wing, and assisted with artists’ sketches of high-priority suspects. He even identified restaurants that his fellow IS members frequented.

It’s not clear when the future IS leader was released from custody, but the last interrogation reports mentioning him are dated July 2008. By then Mawla had stopped being cooperative, and documents from the time suggest that he had been led to believe that he would be rewarded for helping his captors.

Like his predecessor, al-Qurashi has been hard to track down. Unconfirmed reports emerged last year that he had been nabbed by Iraqi intelligence officers, but it appears that the high-value target is still on the run.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
×