President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish forces in Syria have captured one of the wives and other family members of slain Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Erdogan, in a speech on November 6 in Ankara, did not provide details or disclose the name of the woman taken into custody.

Baghdadi was known to have four wives -- the maximum he can have at one time under Islamic law, according to an aide to the IS leader.

Baghdadi died on October 26 during a U.S. Special Forces raid in Syria's northwestern Idlib Province.

'The United States said Baghdadi killed himself in a tunnel. They started a communication campaign about this,' Erdogan said.

'But I am announcing it here for the first time: We captured his wife and didn't make a fuss like them. Similarly, we also captured his sister and brother-in-law in Syria,' he added.

Reuters and AP on November 5 quoted a senior Turkish official as saying Baghdadi's older sister, Rasmiya Awad, 65, was found during a raid on November 4 near the Turkish-controlled town of Azaz, in Syria's Aleppo Province.

It was not immediately clear if Erdogan was referring to Awad in his latest comments.

Turkish forces have taken control of a stretch of territory near its border with Syria after launching a military offensive to force U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters out of the area.

Ankara's move came after President Donald Trump in September announced a withdrawal of U.S. troops from along the border area to allow Turkish forces to set up the zone free of the Kurdish militias.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

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