A joint operation by Turkish police and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in Istanbul led to the capture of M.B., a senior figure from the terrorist group Daesh, authorities announced on Wednesday.
M.B., a 36-year-old Tunisian national who used the code name Abu Huzaifah, served as a so-called “qadi” or judge for the terrorist group in Tal Abyad, Manbij and Raqqa in Syria between 2014 and 2018, security sources said. Acting upon intelligence that he secretly came to Istanbul, security forces located him in the city. They raided his residence on Feb. 24. Interrogated terrorists revealed his ongoing ties to Daesh cadres in Syria and his contacts in Türkiye. An Istanbul court ordered his arrest, and he was sent to prison.
In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group. 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.
In January, police apprehended a Daesh terrorist in Istanbul, preparing to attack Türkiye.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups like the PKK and its Syrian wing, the 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 cut the legs out from under the terrorist groups.
