Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has announced killing of Islamic State leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi by intelligence forces in Syria.
Erdogan said in an interview with state media that “This individual was neutralised as part of an operation by the Turkish national intelligence organisation in Syria.
Syrian local and security sources said the raid took place in the Northern Syrian town of Jandaris, which is controlled by Turkey-backed rebel groups and was one of the worst-affected in the February 6 earthquake that hit both Turkey and Syria.
An eye witness said clashes started on the edge of Jandaris from Saturday into Sunday, lasting for about an hour before residents heard a large explosion.
The area was later encircled by security forces to prevent anyone from approaching the area.
IS selected al-Qurashi as its leader in November 2022 after the previous IS leader was killed in an operation in southern Syria.
Islamic State took over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, and its head at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared an Islamic caliphate across territory that housed millions.
But IS lost its grip on the territory after campaigns by U.S.-backed forces in Syria and Iraq, as well as Syrian forces backed by Iran, Russia and various paramilitaries.
Its remaining thousands of militants have in recent years mostly hid out in remote hinterlands of both countries, though they are still capable of carrying out major hit-and-run attacks.
