The Facts
Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed on Sunday that the alleged Islamic State (IS) group leader Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi was killed in an operation by Turkey's intelligence agency in Syria.
In an interview with Turkish TV, Erdoğan announced that al-Qurayshi had been neutralized as a result of the intelligence agency's continued efforts to track down the IS leader and vowed that Ankara would continue its fight against any terrorist threat.
The Spin
Narrative A
For Erdoğan to brag on his return to the campaign trail that Turkey killed al-Qurayshi and invoke the fight against terrorism is hypocritical at best, given that it was Erdoğan's Turkey that fueled the rise of jihadists in Syria in the first place. Ankara has used Islamists and rebel groups for its campaign against US-backed Kurdish forces fighting IS and for its strategic goal of toppling the Assad regime. As a result, however, Erdoğan's hubris has undermined not only regional stability but also Turkey's national security.
Narrative B
While Turkey's killing of the IS leader is further evidence of how serious Ankara is about fighting terrorism, Washington continues to support Kurdish terrorists under the guise of fighting IS, thereby jeopardizing Turkey's national security. However, this will not prevent Ankara from continuing to fight terrorism without distinction, which benefits not only regional security, but ultimately European security as well. This is one of Erdoğan's great achievements, and Turks can be proud of their country and their leader.
