While residents of northern Syria report clashes and a major explosion, the Turkish president claims that Abu Hussein al-Qurashi was killed after being pursued.
The president of Turkey declared that Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, the commander of the Islamic State, had been assassinated in Syria by Turkish intelligence troops.
In an interview with the Turkish television station TRT Türk on Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdoan stated, "This person was neutralised as part of an operation by the Turkish national intelligence organisation in Syria yesterday.
He claimed that the spy agency had been looking for Qurashi for a while.
According to local and security sources in Syria, the raid occurred in the northern Syrian town of Jindires, which is held by rebel organisations supported by Turkey and was one of the most impacted by the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6th.
An rebel group with security presence in the region, the Syrian National Army, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed fighting coalition in northern Syria made up primarily of Kurds, "the Isis figure Abu Hussein al-Qurashi... was stationed in a military post belonging to the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiya mercenary group and was killed in Jindires, Afrin," pointing to Turkish influence and control in Jinderes.
According to a local, fighting broke out on the outskirts of Jindires during the course of the night between Saturday and Sunday, lasting for nearly an hour until locals heard a huge explosion. Later, security personnel surrounded the area to keep people from entering.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition commanded by the Kurds and backed by the US, are continuing conducting attacks against IS leaders in Syria.
Mid-April, the US conducted a helicopter assault in northern Syria after claiming that IS had been preparing attacks in the Middle East and Europe.
Abd-al Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali was the senior commander of the organisation, according to the US central command, who claimed responsibility for his death.
