Turkish authorities have detained four relatives of the late Daesh* leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while conducting operations in Kirsehir province, Anadolu Agency reported, citing the Kirsehir chief public prosecutor’s office. A total of 25 relatives of the dead terrorist leader were detained in operations covering four Turkish provinces, including Samsun, Ordu, and Sanliurfa.
Those detained were charged with participating in an "armed terror group" by the Kirsehir Peace Penal Court. 21 of those arrested have already been interrogated and sent to a repatriation centre in Kirsehir province.
Previously, Turkey confirmed detaining a number of relatives of al-Baghdadi, including his sister, 65-year-old Rasmiya Awad, his brother-in-law, and his wife, Asma Fawzi Muhammad Al-Qubaysi. The latter, according to AFP's report, "volunteered a lot of information" about the Daesh* leader and his terrorist organisation.
Death of al-Baghdadi
US President Donald Trump announced that Daesh* leader al-Baghdadi died on 27 October as a result of a US raid on his hideout, blowing himself up after being chased into a dead-end tunnel. The US claimed that due to his body having been mutilated by the blast, al-Baghdadi was identified via a DNA test on the spot, with his remains buried at sea within 24 hours of his death.
The terrorist organisation later confirmed the death of al-Baghdadi and named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as their new leader.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
