Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that Daesh leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's wife had been captured.

The former Islamic State leader killed himself last month during an ambush by US special forces.

Erdogan said in a speech at Ankara University: "The United States said Baghdadi killed himself in a tunnel. They started a communication campaign about this."

Read more: Turkey and 'Islamic State' — is Ankara doing enough?

"But, I am announcing it here for the first time: We captured his wife and didn't make a fuss like them. Similarly, we also captured his sister and brother in law in Syria."

Turkish officials had already announced Tuesday the apprehension of Baghdadi's 65-year-old sister, known as Rasmiya Awad.

Al-Baghdadi was killed in the nearby province of Idlib during a US raid last month. The operation was seen as a major blow to the leader's militant group, which has lost a significant amount of territory in Syria and Iraq.

jsi/rc (Reuters, dpa)

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