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ISIS Leader Killed in Turkiye’s Syria Operation

Erdogan's declaration came after his recent hiatus from the public spotlight due to sickness.

Ankara, 1 May 2023 (GNP): On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that the country’s intelligence forces were able to kill the ISIS leader in Syria and pledged to keep up the nation’s battle against terrorism.

Erdogan said that before initiating their operation, Turkish intelligence had been keeping a close eye on Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini Al-Qurshi, the purported ISIS leader.

Erdogan stated in a Sunday interview with Turkiye’s state television that “This individual was neutralized as part of an operation by the Turkish national intelligence organization in Syria yesterday”.

“We will continue our struggle with terrorist organizations without any discrimination,” the president added.

He continued by saying that Europe “is not aware of this or does not want to be aware of it,” which implies that Europe reaps the rewards of Turkiye’s battle against terrorism.

According to Syrian local and security sources, the raid to capture the ISIS leader occurred close to the northern Syrian town of Jinderes, governed by Turkiye-sponsored rebel organizations. It was among the worst-affected regions of the February 6 earthquake that struck both Turkiye and Syria.

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ISIS released no statement. A rebel group with a security presence in the region, the Syrian National Army, didn’t immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Conflicts broke out on the outskirts of the town throughout the course of the night between Saturday and Sunday, according to a local who spoke to a news agency. The conflict lasted for approximately an hour before neighbors heard a huge explosion.

Security personnel later surrounded the area to keep onlookers away.

Al-Qurashi became ISIS leader after his predecessor was killed in November 2022 by Free Syrian Army in Syria. Al-Qurshi’s background was obscure, although, at the time of his appointment, ISIS called him an “old fighter”.

In 2014, after capturing significant portions of Iraq and Syria, the ISIS organization’s leader at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed an Islamic caliphate over the region, which was home to millions of people.

But following operations by US-backed forces in Syria and Iraq, as well as Syrian forces supported by Iran, Russia, and various paramilitaries, the militant organization lost control of the area.

The group’s remaining fighters are now primarily concealed in outlying regions of Syria and Iraq, while they occasionally carry out strikes.

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