May 3, 2021 - World

Turkey says ISIS military leader captured in Istanbul

The ISIS flag

Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish police say the alleged military head of ISIS and a close aide to the terrorist group's former leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been captured in Istanbul, DW reports.

State of play: The man, who has been identified only by the codename Basim, had been traveling with a fake passport and ID, according to a police statement. Reports indicate he had disappeared since the terror group was driven out of Syria in 2017.

  • U.S. special forces killed al-Baghdadi, who presided over the Islamic State's global jihad and became arguably the world's most wanted man, during a raid in Syria in October 2019.
  • Basim was suspected of organizing training for the Islamic State while in Syria and Iraq, as well as serving on its decision-making council.
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