(Part 1)
By Dr. Ahrar
The ISIS group, which previously had its headquarters in Sham (modern-day Syria), has relocated its center of operations to Somalia according to current information. This transition took place after intense consultations and strategic analyses. A number of reliable sources state that Iraqi ISIS members played a crucial role in this relocation. Their objective was to shift the leadership, which was largely operating online and based in Syria, and which did not grant much opportunity or authority to the Iraqis, away from the Syrian members and toward the African wing of the group.
Why did this transition occur?
First:
The origin and structure of ISIS were established by Iraqi members, and the leadership and command were also held by these Iraqis. Although Baghdadi chose the land of Sham as the central territory for his fake caliphate, Iraqis were appointed to the key positions within the central administrations and ministries of this fraudulent caliphate. This organizational structure functioned well until 2017. Following that, the prominent and key Iraqi ISIS figures in Sham were eliminated by the United States and its allies through the use of Syrian spies, ensuring that these positions would be left for America’s Syrian informants who had infiltrated the group at high levels.
These efforts yielded some results, but much work remained because leaders who were confidants and loyalists of Baghdadi were still present. The situation for ISIS in Sham was deteriorating day by day, and they were attempting to control the circumstances; however, the matter had moved beyond their capabilities. At this time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also departed from the scene, and very few Iraqis remained in the field. Syrian and Iraqi ISIS members collectively altered the entire organizational structure of ISIS, abolished most of the ministries or “Diwans,” merged some ministries with others, cancelled certain general directorates, and retained others.
In this restructuring, Syrians secured key positions such as the Ministry of Security or the General Diwan. This is because this ministry manages military affairs, implements vital measures and security regarding the hideouts of its officials, and remains in contact with the leaders and governors of its other official branches to ensure the administration maintains control over its entire caliphate.
Second:
In this new formation, Iraqis and Syrians each secured half the share. Over time, the Iraqis were killed one by one, until finally in 2023, Turkey based on its own intelligence targeted and eliminated the group’s leader and caliph in a Syrian village, while capturing their spokesperson, known as Abu Omar, alive.
Following his death, the ISIS group engaged in consultations and discussions for a period of three months. Iraqi ISIS members favored the direction of Somalia, while Syrian members insisted that the caliph must be from Sham. Since a significant portion of oversight and power rested with the Africans, five African branches pledged allegiance to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin in Somalia. The Khorasan and Pakistani branches also announced their allegiance to him. Only the Syrian ISIS members initially refused to accept this, but after extensive negotiations, they eventually accepted his allegiance.
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin appointed an Iraqi ISIS member named Sheikh Abu Hudhaifa as his spokesperson in the first rank. Additionally, he appointed a Syrian ISIS member to lead the office of monitoring, who was subsequently killed by the Americans in 2024.
Third:
The conflict between Syrian and Iraqi ISIS members is also evident from the fact that in 2025, the forces of the Syrian Ministry of Interior and the international coalition conducted joint security operations in Al-Bab city, east of Aleppo province, during which four ISIS members were killed. In these operations, a high-ranking ISIS leader, who is the group’s official spokesperson and an Iraqi citizen, was captured alive.
Following this raid, coalition forces conducted a nighttime operation near the Turkish-Syrian border. According to information, a Syrian ISIS member named Imran was eliminated in this operation. Iraqi media reported at the time that this intelligence had been provided by Iraqi security forces to the coalition forces.