The leader of the Islamic State would have immolated himself to avoid being arrested during a Turkish operation in Syria

May 2. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Islamic State leader Abu al-Husein al-Huseini al-Quraishi reportedly blew himself up to avoid arrest during a recent operation carried out by Turkish special forces in northern Syria, according to sources quoted by Turkish state media.

These sources have indicated that Al Quraishi — appointed to the post in November after the death of his predecessor, Abu al Hasan al Hashimi al Quraishi, in an operation carried out by members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Daraa province (south)– reportedly activated an explosive vest when surrounded.

Thus, they have stressed that the Turkish special forces demanded that he surrender after breaking into the house that he used as a safe house in the town of Jinderes, without obtaining a response. The agents blew up the entrance door and several walls to access the interior, after which Al Quraishi blew himself up.

Finally, they have stated that the operation lasted around four hours and ended without victims among the members of the Turkish special forces involved or civilians, as reported by the Turkish state news agency, Anatolia.

Al Quraishi’s death was announced on Sunday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the Islamic State leader was “liquidated” in an operation carried out on Saturday. He also said that Ankara will continue to fight the terrorist groups “without making any distinctions between them”, a reference to the Kurdish militias of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and related organizations present in countries such as Syria.

The leadership of the Islamic State has suffered numerous blows in recent years. Since the death of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in a US operation in October 2019 in Syria, three other leaders of the group have been killed in security operations: Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi (October 2019-February 2022), Abu al Hasan al Hashimi (February 2022-October 2022) and Abu al-Husein al-Huseini himself (November 2022-April 2023).