Abu Yasir Hassan, also known as "Yaseer Hassan" or as "Abu Qasim", is a

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

national who currently serves as one of the leaders of the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

province. By August 2020, the group had evolved into a

proto-state A quasi-state (some times referred to as state-like entity or proto-state) is a political entity that does not represent a fully institutionalised or autonomous sovereign state. The precise definition of ''quasi-state'' in political literature f ...

after the group captured

Mocímboa da Praia Mocímboa da Praia is a port town in northern Mozambique, lying on the Indian Ocean coast, in Cabo Delgado Province. It is used as a border post for travel to and from Tanzania even though it is 127 km from the border by road. It is the seat ...

and several other areas of

Cabo Delgado Province Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 2,320,261 (2017). As well as bordering Mtwara Region in the neighboring country of Tanzania, it borders the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The r ...

Biography

Abu Yasir Hassan was born in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

at some point between 1981 and 1983. He became the leader of al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist sect and rebel group in Mozambique, around October 2017. His force joined the Islamic State about 2018/2019. In March–April 2021, Abu Yasir Hassan co-commanded the rebel rebel attack on the town of Palma.

Designation as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'

In March 2021, he was designated as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

due to his activities in the insurgency and his known links to ISIL. The leader of ISIS in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, named Seka Musa Baluku, was also placed on the U.S State department's terrorist list due the group's actions in the Kivu Conflict and the

Allied Democratic Forces insurgency The Allied Democratic Forces insurgency is an ongoing conflict waged by the Allied Democratic Forces in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, against the governments of those two countries and the MONUSCO. The insurgency began in 19 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan, Abu Yasir 1980s births Fugitives Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members Leaders of Islamic terror groups Living people Tanzanian Islamists