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Three officers also killed in raid in Gaziantep, Turkey, Turkish media report says
Gaziantep was the site of a deadly bombing on wedding celebration in August
Mehmet Kadir Cabel, the regional leader for ISIS in Gaziantep, Turkey, was killed Sunday when police raided his cell house, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing police and the regional governor.
Three police officers were also killed during the operation. Cabel’s wife and two children were captured, along with at least 19 other suspected ISIS members.
Gaziantep is about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. It was the site of a horrific bombing in August that killed 54 people at a wedding celebration. ISIS claimed responsibility.
The blast disproportionately killed women and children, with it timed to detonate during a part of the festivities when those groups painted themselves with henna, authorities said.
In May, two police officers died in an explosion at a police station in Gaziantep.
Violence has occurred with frequency this year in Turkey, with much of the bloodshed connected to ISIS.
In the one of the most brazen attacks, suspected ISIS suicide bombers killed 44 people at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in July.
CNN’s Isil Sariyuce reported from Istanbul, and Hande Atay Alam from Atlanta, while Ralph Ellis wrote from Atlanta.