Turkish security forces have detained 18 suspects in a large-scale operation targeting the Daesh terrorist group across 16 provinces centered in the western city of Izmir, officials said Wednesday.
According to Izmir's Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, warrants were issued for 21 individuals as part of an investigation into the group’s financial network.
Teams from the Provincial Gendarmerie Command’s Counterterrorism Unit carried out simultaneous raids in 16 provinces to apprehend the Daesh-affiliated suspects.
Authorities confirmed that 18 individuals were taken into custody, while efforts are ongoing to locate and detain the three fugitives.
Türkiye considers the Daesh terrorist group one of the biggest threats to the country’s security and peace as the group faces nationwide raids continually.
Türkiye 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 and abroad.
Turkish authorities have intensely targeted Daesh cells with the Gürz operations, detaining at least 943 suspects in 2024 alone.
Turkish authorities have also ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
