Erdogan: A 'caliph' of the Islamic State was slain in Syria.

The leader of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, has been killed in an operation by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in Syria, becoming the third self-proclaimed "caliph" to be eliminated in the past 15 months. Turkish forces surrounded a compound where al-Qurashi was believed to be staying and battled with IS fighters. The caliph refused to surrender, then detonated explosives that had been strapped to his body. Al-Qurashi became the terrorist group's fourth leader last November, after his predecessor, Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was killed in battle. US-allied Syrian rebels accused Türkiye last year of giving IS a "safe zone" in northern Syria, but Turkish officials dismissed the allegation as "utterly ridiculous." This weekend's MIT operation comes just two weeks before Turkey's presidential election, with Erdogan seeking re-election in a battle with pro-Western opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Polls show that the race is currently a dead heat