Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed Turkish forces killed the leader of Islamist militant group Isis in an operation in neighbouring Syria.
Turkey’s intelligence agency “neutralised” Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi in Syria at the weekend, Erdoğan said in televised remarks late on Sunday. A US official said on Monday that they were unable to confirm the claim and had no information that would support it.
Erdoğan’s announcement comes during the final stretch of campaigning in one of the most tightly contested elections in the president’s two decades in power. Security is one of his key campaign platforms and is regarded as one of the most important issues by voters.