Turkish forces capture sister of killed Islamic State leader

Accra, Nov. 5, (UPI/GNA) - Less than two weeks after Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S.-led raid in Syria, Turkish forces have captured his sister and obtained a wealth of intelligence, officials said Tuesday.

Military officials said Rasmiya Awad, 65, was captured during a raid on a shipping container in which she and relatives were living. Her husband and daughter in-law were also captured.

"This kind of thing is an intelligence gold mine," a Turkish official told the Daily Sabah. "What she knows about [the Islamic State] can significantly expand our understanding of the group and help us catch more bad guys."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the captured members of al-Baghdadi's family will be kept in repatriation centers.

Turkey communications director Fahrettin Altun said Awad's capture is another example of Ankara's successful counter-terrorism operations.

"Turkey's fight against terror regardless of its ideology or origin continues unabated," Altun tweeted.

Al-Baghdadi, the militant group's leader since 2013, died after he was cornered in Syria by U.S.-led troops on Oct. 27 and detonated a suicide vest.

GNA

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