Over 20 Daesh suspects have been caught in operations carried out in 49 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday as Ankara continues its fight against all kinds of terrorist groups.
The operations against Daesh were carried out in 49 provinces, including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, by provincial police departments under the coordination of the chief public prosecutor's offices and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the General Directorate of Security's Counter-Terrorism Department (TEM) and Intelligence Directorate.
Yerlikaya said that the 210 suspects were carrying out activities in the name of Daesh while providing financing for the terrorist group.
"Unity, togetherness and solidarity against terrorism are our greatest strength. We continue our operations uninterruptedly to ensure the peace and security of our people,” he concluded.
Turkish authorities have intensely targeted Daesh cells with the Gürz operations, detaining at least 943 suspects in 2024 alone.
Since the 2019 collapse of the self-proclaimed “caliphate,” some suspected Daesh members have settled in Türkiye, operating a so-called Khorasan Province (Daesh-K) network, which looks for “new methods” and recruits more foreign nationals for its activities after constant counterterrorism operations became a “challenge,” according to Turkish security sources.
MIT thwarted the terrorist group's efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January 2024.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh, who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
