Turkey Intelligence Kills ISIS Leader in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Sunday, Apr. 30, that an operation led by Turkey's MIT intelligence agency resulted in the death of the supposed chief of the Islamic State organization in Syria.

Tayyip Erdogan has identified the alleged Daesh leader as Abu Hussein al-Qurashi. He said the suspected Daesh commander was "neutralized in an operation carried out by the MIT in Syria," per UPI.

After the death of Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi on November 30, 2022, the Islamic State organization named Abu Hussein al-Qurashi as its new leader.

Turkey's MIT intelligence service allegedly launched a raid in the northern Syrian town of Jinderes, under the control of rebel forces supported by Turkey, and was severely damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

Both the Islamic State and the Syrian National Army, a rebel organization with a security presence in the region, have remained silent on the news of Turkey's killing of the ISIS leader.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the operation on Sunday, only two weeks before the country's national election on May 14. The effects of the devastating earthquake and currency crisis in Turkey are still being felt.

Hunting ISIS Leaders Down

On Saturday, a region of Jindires was surrounded by Turkish intelligence and local military police with backing from Turkey, according to Al Jazeera.

Since 2020, Turkish troops have been stationed in northern Syria with the help of Syrian auxiliaries.

After learning that the IS was planning strikes in Europe and the Middle East, the United States launched a helicopter operation in northern Syria in the middle of April to stop them, CBS News reported.

Central Command states that top ISIS commander Abd-al Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali was among those killed in the incident.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for multiple assaults in Europe during its time of greatest strength and control over vast areas of Iraq and Syria.

Tags

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, ISIS, Syria, Islamic State, World, Politics