Turkey captured wife of Baghdadi, Erdogan announces

Turkey captured the wife of slain Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

“I am announcing for the first time, we captured the wife of Baghdadi as well,” Erdogan told a ceremony in the capital Ankara.

Erdogan said the US had turned the killing of Baghdadi into a campaign, whereas Turkey which had captured the slain Daesh leader’s sister, wife and brother-in-law was refraining from this.

The Turkish president described a terrorist as someone who sheds the blood of innocent people for their own perverted goal.

“[…] No one should use the term ‘Islamic terror’. We have often told this to western leaders at international meetings and we will keep reminding them,” he said.

Erdogan stressed that the enemies of Islam use religion to spread terrorism.

READ: Turkey captures ex-Daesh leader’s sister in Syria 

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkey’s communications director Fahrettin Altun confirmed the arrest of Baghdadi’s sister.

“The arrest of Baghdadi’s sister is yet another example of the success of our counter-terrorism operations,” said Altun in a tweet.

“Anyone who doubts our determination about going after all terror groups should take another look at Turkish government’s record in pursuing terrorists, be it Daesh, PKK or YPG among others,” Altun wrote in a second tweet on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump announced Baghdadi’s death in late October following a late-night special operation raid in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province.

Since Turkey recognized Daesh as a terrorist group in 2013, it has been attacked by Daesh terrorists numerous times, including in 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings, and four armed attacks which killed 315 people, including police officers and soldiers, and injured hundreds.

In response to these attacks, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad, neutralizing 3,500 Daesh terrorists and arresting 5,500.