The United States on Tuesday expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s fight against the Daesh terrorist group, a day after Ankara announced that a recent operation in Syria conducted by its National Intelligence Organization (MIT) eliminated the group’s leader Abu al-Husain al-Husaini al-Qurashi.

"At this time, we can’t corroborate those reports. Certainly, that would be welcome news if true. But, you know, we appreciate what Türkiye has done to counter ISIS, but that’s about as much as I have," Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder told reporters, using the alternative acronym for Daesh.

Turkish forces have engaged with Daesh in the past in northern Syria, and "anything that the international community can do to help with the enduring defeat of ISIS is constructive," he added.

Asked whether there is any communication between the two countries' armed forces on this issue, Ryder avoided answering the question.

Last Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that al-Qurashi, who recently took over the leadership of Daesh, was "neutralized" in the northern Syrian town of Jandaris.

He detonated his suicide vest when he realized he was about to be captured by Turkish intelligence forces, Syrian local and security sources said.

He joined Daesh in 2013 and quickly rose to senior ranks within the organization.

Al-Qurashi was declared the new "caliph" on Nov. 30, 2022, following the killing of the previous Daesh leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.

The terrorist group took over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

But it lost its grip on the territory after campaigns by U.S.-backed forces in Syria and Iraq and Syrian forces backed by Iran, Russia and various paramilitaries.

A U.S.-led coalition force still raids Daesh officials in Syria. In addition, the U.S., under the pretext of this "fight" against Daesh, supplies military equipment and training to PKK/YPG, a terrorist group holed out in northeastern Syria, despite protests by Türkiye, which both terrorist groups target.

In the past, Daesh would claim victories only dreamt of by al-Qaida, seizing vast stretches of territory that spanned the heart of the Middle East. At its height, the terrorist group controlled roughly one-third of Syria and 40% of Iraq amid widespread instability, claiming major cities, including Mosul and Raqqa.

The U.S.-led coalition would claim victory in erasing the terrorist group’s territorial holdings in 2019, the same year the U.S. killed al-Baghdadi, the man whose name was synonymous with the terrorist group’s heinous violence, slavery and mass rape.

His death and the rollback of Daesh’s territorial holdings were major milestones in the U.S.’ global countertenor operations. Still, the terrorist group continues to plot attacks in the region and beyond, with local branches and sleeper cells operating in the Middle East, Africa, and South and Central Asia.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh, a terrorist group. However, the country has since been attacked by Daesh multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.

As a result, Türkiye launched operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks, including several counterterrorism operations in Syria.

Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK/YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye. In response, Ankara has been intensifying its crackdown on the terrorists and their links at home, conducting pinpoint operations and freezing assets to eliminate the roots of terrorist groups.