IS leader killed in special ops strike

But rebels claim he blew himself up

- CHRIS HUGHES

ISLAMIC State chief Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi has been killed in an airstrike, it was claimed yesterday.

Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the terror boss was hit on Saturday after a lengthy spy operation.

His death was quickly followed by counter-claims from Syrian rebels that he blew himself up to avoid being caught.

Mr Erdogan said the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, had been following the ISIS leader "for a long time".

It is thought al-Qurayshi died in Miska in Syria's Aleppo Province.

War monitors The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish drones flew over the area and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition groups blocked access to where al-Qurayshi died.