Islamic State Leader Killed in Intelligence Operation, Turkey Says

ISTANBUL—President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Islamic State’s top leader died during a Turkish intelligence operation in what would be the extremist group’s third chief to be killed in less than a year and a half.

In an interview late Sunday night with state television, Mr. Erdogan said Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization had followed what he called “the so-called leader” of Islamic State, code-named Abu al-Husayn al-Qurayshi, “for a long time.” Mr. Erdogan said the operation took place on Saturday but gave few other details.

Islamic State once imposed brutal rule on millions of people in Iraq and Syria and launched a global campaign of gun and bomb attacks. It lost control of its last territorial foothold in Syria in 2019 but has regrouped and persisted as a violent insurgent group operating in both countries.

A spokesperson for the U.S.-led military coalition in charge of fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq said via text message, “We don’t comment on other nations’ military operations.”