Turkey, US had military, intel coordination before Baghdadi operation: Turkish defense minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Turkey provided military coordination and intelligence to the US ahead of the operation that killed the leader of Islamic State (ISIS) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claimed Turkey’s Defense Minister on Thursday. 

Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US special forces in the Turkish-controlled province of Idlib in northwest Syria, announced US President Donald Trump on October 27.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also provided intelligence assistance.

ISIS confirmed the death of Baghdadi last week and appointed his senior assistant Abu Hassan al-Muhajir as their new leader. 

Prior to the Defense Ministry’s claims, it was believed that Turkey was merely informed of the operation. However, Minister Hulusi Akar claims that his country shared military and intelligence information with the US before the operation began.

“Before the operation, military-to-military we had the exchange of some information. At the same time, our guys had coordination. In addition to all those activities [...] we warned our troops in [sic] the ground not to make any harm in [sic] ongoing operation,” Akar told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview aired on Thursday. 

The US is yet to confirm Turkey’s alleged coordination in the operation. 

Asked if Turkey knew about the whereabouts of Baghdadi, Akar said that he was not aware of his location. 

The deceased ISIS leader announced a caliphate in Mosul in summer 2014 after seizing swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory.

The group was announced defeated in December 2017 in Iraq and in March 2019 in Syria. However, its fighters and sleeper cells continue to threaten both countries, especially in light of the Turkish invasion of northeast Syria. 

Turkey has been slammed for its alleged links to ISIS, and have been accused of harboring members of the terror group.

The SDF has claimed that the many of those fighting in the pro-Turkish Syrian forces are former ISIS members, a subject raised in Akar’s interview on Thursday. 

Turkey has strongly denied such claims, arguing that they are actively apprehending members of ISIS. 

Turkish senior officials announced Tuesday the arrest of Baghdadi’s sister, Rasmiya Awad, her husband, daughter-in-law and five children in the Turkish-held Azaz town in northwest Syria. 

One day later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the arrest of the wife of Baghdadi.

"I am announcing for the first time, we captured the wife of Baghdadi as well," Erdogan told an audience in Ankara. 
 
Ahead of a trip to Hungary, Erdogan also told reporters on Thursday that they captured one of Baghdadi’s children. He added that the arrested relatives of the demised ISIS leader will be sent to repatriation centers until interrogation is completed. 

"Interrogation procedures are proceeding with determination,” he said. 

Later in the day, President Erdogan said in a joint press conference with  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Turkish forces have arrested 13 ISIS members with links to Baghdadi, in addition to the arrest of 1,150 other members. 

"We have neutralized and captured more than 3,000 Daesh members in [Operation Euphrates Shield] in [Syria's] al-Bab alone. There are currently more than 1,150 Daesh members in Turkish prisons," he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.  

Turkey has also banned the entry of 76,000 ISIS suspects and deported 7,550 others, he added. 

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