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Sister of dead ISIS leader al-Baghdadi captured in northern Syria, Turkey says

Click to play video: 'Who was ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?'
Who was ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?
WATCH ABOVE: Who was ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? – Nov 4, 2019

Turkey captured the elder sister of the slain leader of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria on Monday, according to a senior Turkish official, who called the arrest an intelligence “gold mine.”

Little is known about the sister of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Turkish official said the 65-year-old known as Rasmiya Awad is suspected of being affiliated with the extremist group. He did not elaborate.

Click to play video: 'U.S. forces spotted near oil fields in Northern Syria'
U.S. forces spotted near oil fields in Northern Syria

Awad was captured in a raid Monday evening on a trailer container she was living in with her family near the town of Azaz in Aleppo province. The area is part of the region administered by Turkey after it carried out a military incursion to chase away IS militants and Kurdish fighters starting 2016. Allied Syrian groups manage the area known as the Euphrates Shield zone.

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The official said the sister was with her husband, daughter-in-law and five children. The adults are being interrogated, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

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READ MORE: ISIS appoints new leader after death of al-Baghdadi, vows revenge on U.S.

The reclusive leader al-Baghdadi was known to be close to one of his brothers, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hamza.

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READ MORE: The takedown of al-Baghdadi — here’s what happened

Al-Baghdadi’s aide, a Saudi, was killed hours after the raid, also in northwestern Syria, in a U.S. strike. The group named a successor to al-Baghdadi days later, but little is known about him or how the group’s structure has been affected by the successive blows.

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