A Turkish court yesterday slapped five convicts with various prison sentences for being members of the Daesh terror group.
In central Kırşehir province, the local heavy penal court sentenced Halid Hayrettin Ismail Horuc, an alleged Daesh "emir" of Iraq's northern city of Tal-Afar, to eight years and nine months in prison, along with his brother Samir Ismail Horuc. The brothers were charged with being members and part of the hierarchical structure of the Daesh terror group.
In his plea, Halid Hayrettin Ismail Horuc said he was recruited by Daesh in 2014 when the terror group captured Mosul. He later pleaded not guilty of being a Daesh member and Tal-Afar "emir," saying he was in the city for three months. Also convicted for terror group membership, Muhammad Mohsin Abdulwahab Haider and Alya Ali Khalaft were sentenced to six years and three months each. The court sentenced Manal Hairullah Ismael Horuc to four years and two months in prison on the same charge.
Daesh started targeting Turkey in 2013 by attacking rallies, a main airport in Istanbul, a popular nightclub and other venues, killing scores of people. Embattled by counterterrorism operations in Syria and Iraq, the terrorist group has seen its numbers further dwindling with heightened crackdowns in Turkey.
