Although Iraq’s last election in October 2021 gave a majority of seats to the main anti-Iranian political bloc, that of Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, it did not give him victory.
Islamic State's Libyan branch was one of the militant group's strongest outside its original territory in Iraq and Syria, taking advantage of the chaos and warfare.
IS selected al-Qurashi as its leader in November 2022 after the previous IS leader was killed in an operation in southern Syria.
They all pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody at the end of the hearing. They did not ask for bail.
"He was a key ISIS-K official directly involved in plotting operations like Abbey Gate, and now is no longer able to plot or conduct attacks," - White House spokesperson
The two men sentenced to death said during the trial that they had been in contact with the Islamic State in neighboring Afghanistan and helped organize the attack.
After nearly 20 years since the US invaded Iraq, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise trip to the middle eastern country.
JPOST Digital Library
