<span style="color: #222222;">The Islamic State today confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and announced his successor, days after US President Donald Trump said that the terrorist blew himself up during a raid by the American military.<br />''<br />''The group released an audiotape, announcing that Abu Ibrahim Hashimi al-Quraishi, alias Abdullah Qardash, has been named the group's new leader.<br />''<br />''Al-Baghdadi was killed in a US military operation in northwest Syria, Trump had announced on Sunday.<br />''<br />''The notorious ISIS leader had been in hiding for the past five years. Back in April, he had appeared in a propaganda video a week after a series of bombings rattled Sri Lanka, in which more than 250 people were killed. On Tuesday, Trump had announced that the American military has terminated the likely successor of al-Baghdadi.</span><br />