Turkey captures former Isis leader al-Baghdadi's wife, Erdogan says
Baghdadi's sister and brother-in-law have also been apprehended, according to the Turkish leader
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey has captured Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's sister and wife in Syria, a week after the Isis leader was killed in a US operation.
Mr Erdogan said that Baghdadi's brother-law had also been apprehended.
It comes just a day after Ankara officials claimed that Turkish forces had captured Rasmiya Awad, 65, Baghdadi's older sister, along with her husband and daughter-in-law in the town of Azaz, just over the border from Turkey.
Mr Erdogan did not go into any details about the operations that led to the arrests.
"The United States said Baghdadi killed himself in a tunnel. They started a communication campaign about this," he said in a Wednesday speech at Ankara University.
"But, I am announcing it here for the first time: We captured his wife and didn't make a fuss like them. Similarly, we also captured his sister and brother in law in Syria."
Fahrettin Altun, Mr Erdogan's communications director, said on Tuesday the capture of Awad was "another example of the success of our counter-terrorism operations".
Ms Awad is being interrogated to gather more information on the militant group’s leadership structure and operations, officials told Reuters.
It is unclear what intelligence she would have. No details have been given about Baghdadi's wife.
Baghdadi, one of the world's most wanted men, was killed last week during a US Delta Force raid on a compound in Barisha, in north-west Syria just a few minutes from the border with Turkey.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments