On Monday, Turkey announced that they have captured the older sister of the late ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The woman, identified as 65-year-old Rasmiya Awad, is being described as having suspected affiliation with an extremist group.
Turkey captured Awad in a raid in north Syria’s town of Azaz, in the
Turkish-controlled part of the Aleppo Province. Officials said she is
believed to be an intelligence “gold mine.”
Little is known about Baghdadi’s sister, though Turkish officials say
they believe what she knows about ISIS could significantly expand
understanding of the group, and facilitate more raids.
This is likely an attempt for Turkey to score a big win in anti-ISIS
operations, after the US killing of Baghdadi was attributed in many
reports to the Kurdish YPG sharing intelligence about him.
Turkey Says Arrest of ISIS Leader’s Sister an Intel ‘Gold Mine’
Turkey says 65-year-old woman suspected of extremist affiliation
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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