Turkey captures top Daesh/ISIS bomber: Minister

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces have captured a senior member of the Daesh terrorist group, also known as ISIS, in Azaz, northern Syria, Turkey's interior minister said Friday.

Speaking to Turkish daily Hurriyet, Suleyman Soylu said Yusuf Huba, code-named Abu Jihadeddin Nasser al Ubaydi, was wanted for perpetrating 20 attacks in various countries and for being the top global Daesh organizer and trainer for suicide bombings.

The interior minister stated that the terrorist was responsible for a bomb attack in Russia in 2018 and as well as an attack on a shopping center in Hamburg, Germany.

"He has trained Daesh activists all over the world via the internet and face-to-face military training, bomb vehicle preparation, live bomb preparation and assassination through poisoning," Soylu said.

He added that Huba's interrogation was ongoing in an area of Syria under the control of Turkish-backed groups.

Since 2016, Turkey has conducted three successful operations in northern Syria against the terrorist YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS: Operation Euphrates Shield (2016-17), Operation Olive Branch (2018) and Operation Peace Spring.

Since recognizing Daesh as a terror group in 2013, Turkey has been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists numerous times, including 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings, and four armed attacks which killed 315 people and injured hundreds.

In response to the attacks, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad, neutralizing 3,500 Daesh terrorists and arresting 5,500.