MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Abdullah Qardash is believed to be the successor to the Islamic State militant group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was allegedly killed in a US special operation in Syria’s Idlib, US magazine Newsweek has reported.

Qardash "was said to have been nominated by Baghdadi in August to run the group's "Muslim affairs," but was never publicly endorsed by the group, according to the report.

A regional intelligence official told Newsweek that Qardash presumably had taken over Baghdadi's role. "Baghdadi was a figurehead. He was not involved in operations or day-to-day," the official told Newsweek. "All Baghdadi did was say yes or no."