London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
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
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×