(CNN) -- He runs his terror group like
a CEO -- with spreadsheets on missions, assassinations and captured assets.
And reports from Iraq's government suggest ISIS leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been hit in airstrikes over the
weekend -- though it's not clear whether he was wounded, whose strikes he may
have been hit by and in what part of the country he may have been struck.
But
if al-Baghdadi is dead, what would happen to the radical Sunni militant group?
Don't
expect ISIS to just crumble.
"It
will morph, and new leaders will emerge," retired U.S. Maj. Gen. James
"Spider" Marks said. "In fact, bear in mind that ISIS leadership
originated from Saddam's military. These are very conventionally trained, very
professional leaders."
Odds
are al-Baghdadi or the Shura Council, which handles the group's religious and
military affairs, has planned this scenario in advance.
"ISIS
likely has a clear line of succession," said Lauren Squires of the
Institute for the Study of War. "This is a bureaucratic organization with
a deep bench ... either Baghdadi has signed off on the line of succession
himself or the Shura Council has agreed to a line of succession."
Top two deputies
Al-Baghdadi
has a Cabinet of advisers as well as two top deputies -- Abu Muslim
al-Turkmani, who oversees ISIS' mission in Iraq, and Abu Ali al-Anbari, who is
in charge of operations in Syria, according to the Terrorism Research and
Analysis Consortium.
Both
men are veteran Iraqi military officials who served under Saddam Hussein.
"These
people who had previously served in Saddam Hussein's army were extremely brutal
because Saddam Hussein's regime was very brutal," said Peter Neumann of
King's College. "But they also inherited the disciplines and the military
skills that are now benefiting ISIS in its campaign against its enemies."
Analysts
say al-Turkmani could make a strong case to become the leader of ISIS if
al-Baghdadi is taken out.
"He
would also have had to have a lot of outstanding qualities either in the
political or the military field, and that certainly makes him a potential
contender," Neumann said.
Beneath
each deputy are 12 governors for both Iraq and Syria. Those governors handle financial,
military, legal, media and intelligence councils, among others.
What's
interesting about the bureaucratic hierarchy of ISIS is that it looks a lot
like those of some Western countries whose values it rejects -- except there's
no democracy involved and there's a council tasked with considering who to
behead.
Another possibility
Then
there's Syrian Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the chief spokesman for ISIS who could
also take over the group.
In
September, al-Adnani called for ISIS supporters to launch lone-wolf attacks.
Analysts
say some of al-Baghdadi's top deputies were imprisoned with the spokesman at
Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run detention center in Iraq where al-Baghdadi was also held
for at least four years.
"He
was able to trust these individuals as sharing his ideology, sharing his hatred
for the West.," Squires said.
The Shura Council's importance
If
al-Baghdadi is still alive, there's one group of people who can take him out
even without the use of airstrikes or violence.
The
Shura Council is the religious monitor for ISIS. Not only does it make sure all
the local councils and governors are sticking to ISIS' version of Islamic law,
it has the ability to stand up to al-Baghdadi.
"The
Shura Council has the right to tell Baghdadi to go if he's not adhering to
ISIS' religious standards," said Jasmine Opperman of the Terrorism
Research and Analysis Consortium. "It would most probably never happen,
but the fact that it's possible indicates the council's prominence."
She
said the recent beheadings of Western hostages James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and
David Haines would have fallen under the Shura council's purview.
On
top of that, Opperman said, the Shura Council also has the power to censure the
leadership for running afoul of its interpretation of Sharia law.
But
what happens if al-Baghdadi dies night just be hypothetical for now. While some
Iraqi officials say the ISIS leader was wounded in an airstrike, U.S. officials
say they can't confirm whether al-Baghdadi was hit at all.
Source: CNN.com
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