Islamic State leader 'neutralized' in Syria, says President Erdogan

ISIS flag, in the Homs province in central Syria, April 4, 2016. AFP

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The "alleged leader" of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) was "neutralized" Saturday in Syria during an operation conducted by the Turkish intelligence services, said Sunday (April 30th) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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The alleged leader of Daesh, codenamed Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, was neutralized during an operation carried out yesterday by the MIT (Turkish secret service) in Syria," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview on TRT Turk television. The head of state said that Turkish intelligence had been following the IS leader "for a long time", without providing further details on the circumstances of the operation.

Local and Syrian security sources said the raid took place in the northern Syrian town of Jandaris, which is controlled by Ankara-backed rebel groups. According to a resident, the clashes began near Jandaris on Saturday night and lasted about an hour before a loud explosion sounded. The area was then surrounded by security forces to prevent anyone from approaching it.

The Islamic State organization had announced on November 30 the death of its previous leader, Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, without specifying the circumstances. He was immediately replaced by Abu Al-Husayni al-Qurashi, according to IS.

Deadly attacks

The US military has also carried out several strikes targeting ISIS leaders in Syria in recent years. In October 2019, Washington announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a US operation. His two successors were killed in Syria in February and November 2022. In early April, the US military announced that it had killed an IS leader responsible for attacks in Europe, identified as Khaled Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri.

A few days later, it said it had "probably" killed in northern Syria a leader of the jihadist group that was planning attacks in Europe and the Middle East. The US military command for the Middle East (Centcom) said he was a senior IS leader in Syria, identified as Abdel Hadi Mahmoud al-Haji Ali.

Despite its territorial defeat, IS is still carrying out attacks in Syria. At least 41 people, including 24 civilians, were killed on April 16 in the country in two attacks attributed to the jihadist group against sand truffle pickers and shepherds. IS claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Europe during its time in power, as it controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq.

► Read also: War in Syria: where are we?

(

With AFP)

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  • Syria
  • Terrorism
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  • Turkey
  • United States