The Strongman of ISIS is a Mysterious Somali Financier… Learn About Him
The Somali leader of ISIS, Abdul Qadir Mumin, known for his orange henna-dyed beard, is believed to be the most powerful figure within the organization, even though he does not officially hold the title, according to analysts.
ISIS claims its leader is named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. However, observers question the identity behind this alias or whether this person even exists. One individual drawing attention is Abdul Qadir Mumin, suspected of managing the group from Somalia.
Tor Hamming from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation stated, “He is the most significant and powerful figure. He controls ISIS’s global network.”
Hamming told AFP that in this shadowy structure, where leaders are killed one after another, Mumin remains one of the few “important faces” who have survived thus far, granting him a certain status within the group.
A few months ago, he was believed to have been killed in a U.S. strike. However, in the absence of evidence confirming his death, he is assumed to be alive and active.
According to Hamming, “Somalia is crucial for financial reasons. We know they send money to Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Yemen, and Afghanistan. So, they have an effective financial model.”
Information about these financial transactions is scarce, and estimating the amounts or tracing the precise flow of funds is impossible.
Mumin, born in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, lived in Sweden before settling in England, where he acquired British citizenship. He was known in London and Leicester in the early 2000s as an extremist preacher in radical mosques and through online videos.
He reportedly burned his British passport upon arriving in Somalia, where he quickly began promoting propaganda for Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, before defecting to ISIS in 2015.
A European intelligence official, speaking anonymously, stated, “He controls a small territory but has significant influence. He distributes volunteers and money.” The official added that the ISIS attack in Mozambique last May involved Moroccan and African operatives.
Mumin has also funded Ugandan rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an ISIS affiliate in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which now counts between 1,000 and 1,500 members, according to the official. With Mumin’s assistance, these groups “have recently escalated fighting,” seeking “radicalization, weapons, and funding.”
Some observers describe him as a potential successor within the leadership structure of the extremist organization. However, an official allegiance to him would signal an ideological shift within ISIS, traditionally rooted in the Middle East, where it established a caliphate from 2014 to 2019 in Syria and Iraq.
Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, stated that such a move would cause a stir among ISIS supporters and sympathizers.
Schindler told AFP that, in theory, the leader of an organization so ideologically grounded cannot simply be “a Somali man with an orange beard.”
However, the operational activities of leaders from ISIS-affiliated groups, such as in West Africa or Khorasan Province, could enable them to claim such a role.
Although the Somali leader does not meet traditional leadership criteria, his geographical position provides him with certain advantages. According to CTC Sentinel, a publication of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point focusing on terrorist threats, “The Horn of Africa may have provided protection from the instability of the Levant and greater freedom of movement.”
The publication adds that these leadership traits resemble those of Osama bin Laden, who believed financing the war was key to winning it.
Mumin’s rise to the top of the hierarchy, despite the small number of fighters under his command, also reflects internal shifts within ISIS.
According to Hamming, two changes mark this transition. “Firstly, the caliph is no longer the most important figure in ISIS. Secondly, the group is indeed making a gradual strategic shift toward Africa.”
A European intelligence official noted that “90% of the violent images reaching Europe originate from Africa.”
However, ISIS leadership remains Middle East-centric, the CTC Sentinel emphasized, stating that “in this context, things have not fundamentally changed.”
