Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate, Sinai Province, pledged allegiance on Saturday to new ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, who was officially declared the terror group’s new head on Thursday via an audio message, according to Reuters.
The official audio message also confirmed the death of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last week at the hands of U.S. forces and vowed vengeance against the United States, according to the report.
Sinai Province has waged an insurgency against the Egyptian government for years, stepping up its efforts following the toppling of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. The Egyptian army continues its efforts to counter the group.
U.S. special forces killed al-Baghdadi in a raid last weekend on his compound in northwest Syria.
