Baghdadi killing is 'turning point' in terrorism fight: Erdogan

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday hailed the killing of Daesh chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, calling it a "turning point" in the fight against terrorism.

"The killing of Daesh´s ringleader marks a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism," Erdogan said on Twitter, using another name for IS.

US President Donald Trump announced Baghdadi´s death during a nighttime raid by US special forces deep outside the village of Barisha in Idlib province, northwestern Syria.

Erdogan said Turkey would "continue to support anti-terror efforts -- as it has done in the past".

"I am confident that a decisive struggle against terrorism, in line with the spirit of alliance, will bring peace to all of humanity," he added in a second tweet.

The Turkish defence ministry said there was "information exchange and coordination between the military authorities of both countries" before the US operation, but gave no further details.

A senior Turkish official also told AFP that there had been "close coordination" and Turkey´s military had "advance knowledge" of the raid.

But the official refused to comment on whether Turkey provided any intelligence to "facilitate" the operation.