The Turkish Counter-Terrorism Forces have arrested 23 members of the ISIS terrorist organization in simultaneous operations across seven provinces. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced via his official account on the “X” platform on Thursday that the security campaign was conducted in the provinces of Hatay, Yalova, Konya, Yozgat, Çanakkale, Sakarya, and Tekirdağ, resulting in these arrests.
Additionally, the Counter-Terrorism Forces arrested 11 ISIS members in a separate operation in İzmir, in the west of the country. The arrests were coordinated between the Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Directorates based on a warrant issued by the prosecutor’s office, targeting 13 locations. The operations led to the capture of the suspects and the seizure of significant quantities of digital materials and four prohibited publications.
The source added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend two more suspects. Yerlikaya also noted that since June 1, 2023, to April 22, Turkish security forces have conducted 1,422 operations against ISIS throughout the country, resulting in the arrest of 2,991 members of the organization. Of these, 718 have been detained, while 566 were released on conditional judicial supervision.
The minister highlighted that ISIS, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey since 2013, claimed responsibility for an attack on a church. According to a statement on a Telegram channel, the attack was “in response to the organization leaders’ call to target Jews and Christians.” This church attack marks ISIS’s first such incident since the last attack carried out by Uzbek national Abdulgadir Masharipov, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Khorasani, at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve 2017, which resulted in 39 deaths and 79 injuries.
Since then, Turkish security forces have continuously targeted ISIS cells and members, resulting in thousands of arrests, the deportation of nearly 3,000 individuals, and the prevention of over 5,000 from entering the country.
Recently, Turkey has intensified its crackdown on ISIS, conducting numerous arrests across the country in response to ongoing threats and recent attacks attributed to the group. In one significant operation, Turkish security forces arrested 147 individuals with suspected links to ISIS, following an attack in Moscow that was linked to the group. This operation is part of a broader effort that has seen thousands of suspects detained or arrested over the past year as Turkey continues to combat the persistent threat posed by ISIS cells within its borders.
Additionally, the Turkish government has been proactive in carrying out counterterrorism operations, significantly increasing their frequency since a deadly attack at the beginning of October. The majority of these operations have been preventive, targeting potential threats to public safety, especially ahead of significant public holidays and festivities.
