Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death 'hard blow' for ISIS, but not group's death knell

Karin Von Hippel, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, a think tank in London, said al-Baghdadi's death is likely to usher in “a new phase” for ISIS, with the expectation that a new leader will emerge in the coming weeks. It might also provide the opportunity for a rapprochement between al Qaeda and ISIS, which split in 2014, Von Hippel added. “Both have been weakened to a degree on the battlefield, especially ISIS after losing its so-called Caliphate earlier this year. But both have considerable skills sets, notably in the virtual and physical worlds, in grooming and recruiting, training, bomb making and directing attacks,” she said