U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that five "most wanted" leaders of Daesh had been captured, an apparent reference to the capture of five commanders of the terrorist group by Iraq.
"Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!" Trump wrote in a post on Twitter, using a different acronym for the militant group and providing no further details about their capture.
In a statement Thursday coalition spokesman Army Col. Ryan Dillon called the arrest a "significant blow to Daesh."
None of the statements from the president or the coalition named the individuals.
Iraq had described the capture of Daesh commanders as "some of the most wanted" leaders of the group. The list did not include Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Answering to a written question by the press on Friday, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy stated that the operation ended with the capture of senior Daesh figures initially started with Turkish intelligence and law enforcement agencies apprehending leading Daesh member Ismail Alwaan al-Ithawi in northwestern province of Sakarya. Aksoy said that al-Ithawi was subsequently deported to Iraq.
"We are pleased by the success of the operation that also benefited from Turkey's contribution. Turkey shall continue its efforts in countering DAESH in cooperation with the US, Iraq and other countries," the statement added.
Daesh fighters no longer control significant pockets of territory inside Iraq, but do maintain a grip inside Syria along Iraq's border.
