Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkish citizen Umit Yasar Toprak, one of the leaders of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, was killed in an anti-terror operation in Syria, Milliyet newspaper reported Sept. 24.
Toprak was known among the terrorists as Abu Yusuf Al Turki.
He was earlier suspected of plotting the assassination of the ex-U.S. President George Bush during his visit to Turkey in 2004.
On Sept.23, the Pentagon spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby said that the U.S. is launching air strikes on the terrorist groups known as the Islamic State (IS), Jabhat al-Nusra and Khorasan inside Syria.
On Sept. 11, the U.S. President Barack Obama announced a strategy to fight the IS militants. He said no ground operation is being planned at the moment; however, air strikes will be carried out against the terrorists not only in Iraq, but also in Syria.
Yesterday the U.S. Air Force once again carried out air strikes against the IS inside Syria and Iraq.
The terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL) was created in 2003 in Iraq. In 2004-2006, the organization was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and consisted of 11 radical Islamist groups, which had close ties to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.
Following the start of military confrontation in Syria in 2013 between the armed opposition and the government forces, the IS penetrated the country.
After this, the terrorist organization said it refuses to take the oath of Al-Qaeda and declared a holy war against all groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Syrian government forces.
Strengthening of the IS in Syria allowed it to return to Iraq, deploying military actions against government forces there.
In late June, the IS announced about the creation of the "Islamic Caliphate" on the territories under its control in Iraq and Syria.
In turn, Iraqi authorities asked the international community for help in combating the IS.
Edited by CN