Turkish raid prompted ISIS leader to detonate suicide vest

ISIS leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi’s six-month rule ended when he detonated a suicide vest during a Turkish special forces raid in northwest Syria on Saturday after refusing to surrender, a senior Turkish security official said.

The third ISIS leader to die by detonating an explosive vest during a raid since 2019, Qurashi leaves behind an organization that once ruled millions of people via its control of a third of Iraq and Syria but has now been forced underground.

The four-hour raid, led by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), saw special forces blast their way through a perimeter fence, back door and walls of his hideout in a two-storey building near the town of Jandaris, the security official said.

Two Syrian security sources said Turkish-backed Syrian armed groups set a perimeter around the area while Turkish special forces, who one source said earlier entered Syria in armoured vehicles, raided the house.

The MIT declined to comment for this report. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday Qurashi “was neutralized” as part of the intelligence forces’ operation.

via Reuters