Turkey announces it has captured al-Baghdadi's wife, brother-in-law, and sister

Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(Image credit: Adem Altan / Getty Images)

One of the wives of slain ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been captured, as has his sister and brother-in-law, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.

Erdogan announced Wednesday the capture of Baghdadi's wife, The Associated Press reports, although he didn't provide more information or name the woman. AP notes Baghdadi was known to have four wives.

Erdogan also confirmed that Turkey has captured Baghdadi's sister and brother-in-law, as had previously been reported, per NBC News. In making this announcement, Erdogan got in a swipe at the United States for making a "big fuss" about Baghdadi's death.

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"The United States said Baghdadi killed himself in a tunnel," Erdogan said, Fox News reports. "They started a communication campaign about this. But I am announcing it here for the first time: We captured his wife and didn't make a fuss like them. Similarly, we also captured his sister and brother-in-law in Syria."

President Trump announced Baghdadi's death late last month, saying the former ISIS leader had killed himself and three of his children after detonating an explosive vest during a military operation. The U.S. says two of Baghdadi's wives were also killed in the operation, CNN reports.

Turkey is questioning Rasmiya Awad, Baghdadi's sister, CNN reports, and "Ankara hopes her capture will lead to a wealth of intelligence about the militant group." A Turkish intelligence official told CNN, "This kind of thing is an intelligence gold mine."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.