Turkey says al-Baghdadi’s wife now in custody

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Wednesday that a wife of recently slain ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is now in custody of the country, The Associated Press reported.

The Turkish leader announced the unidentified woman’s capture during a speech in Ankara but did not mention when or how she came into Turkish custody. 

{mosads}“We caught his wife, but we didn’t make a fuss about it. I am announcing this today for the first time,” the AP reported Erdoğan said.

Al-Baghdadi reportedly had four wives, the highest number allowed under Islamic law.

During his Wednesday speech, Erdoğan also criticized the U.S. for its “communications campaign” on al-Baghdadi’s death.

President Trump announced the ISIS leader’s death last month in a press conference after U.S. forces raided al-Baghdadi’s location, prompting him to blow himself and two of his children up.

Turkey declared Monday it had captured al-Baghdadi’s sister Rasmiya Awad in northwestern Syria after military action against ISIS militants and Kurdish fighters. A Turkish official called Awad’s capture a “gold mine” for ISIS intelligence. 

Turkey has been trying to keep up a reputation of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria after several world leaders criticized the country for launching an offensive into Syria against Kurdish forces, leaving a gap for ISIS detainees to escape.

Al-Baghdadi’s brother-in-law Mohammad Ali Sajit, who is in Iraqi custody, identified one of al-Baghdadi’s wives as Nour, an Iraqi daughter to one of his aides.