Abdul Qadir Mumin, the man widely reported to be the new leader of ISIS, once lived quietly in the UK with his wife and three children, according to a Daily Mail investigation.
Mumin, born in Somalia and later naturalised as a British citizen, is now believed to be operating in northern Somalia. His wife, 43-year-old British-Somali Muna Abdule, remains in the UK, living in a council flat in Slough with their three children, aged 20, 18 and 17.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Mrs Abdule said her husband disappeared more than a decade ago without explanation.
«He abandoned us… We have not seen or heard from him in more than 10 years. We have nothing to do with him,» she told reporters.
Before leaving Britain, Mumin was known for preaching an extremist form of Islam and is believed to have crossed paths with high-profile UK terrorists, including Mohammed Emwazi, known as «Jihadi John», and Michael Adebolajo, one of the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby.
Mumin went on to become the emir of ISIS’s Somalia branch, and some reports claim he has now been elevated to the group’s global leadership after a U.S. airstrike killed senior figures. However, analysts at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center caution that he may not fulfil the group’s strict criteria for becoming its ultimate spiritual and political leader.
His reported rise reflects ISIS’s continued shift toward Africa following its collapse in Syria and Iraq. Despite losing territorial control, the organisation has regrouped, with U.S. and Syrian forces recently destroying multiple weapons sites linked to the group.
The UK government continues to face criticism over its ability to deport dangerous extremists, amid rising concern about global ISIS activity.
Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that The Ministry of Economy and Finance has published its draft budget for 2026, following initial approval in the first reading by the Legislative Chamber.
