Turkish security forces have captured 170 suspects in counterterrorism operations targeting the Daesh terrorist group across 32 provinces over the past two weeks, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Friday.
In a statement shared on his X social media account, Yerlikaya said the suspects were accused of previously operating within Daesh or providing financial support to the group. Of those detained, 10 have been formally arrested, while 15 were released under judicial control measures. Legal procedures for the remaining suspects are ongoing, he added.
The coordinated operations were carried out under the supervision of public prosecutors and involved the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the police intelligence directorate and the counterterrorism department, Yerlikaya said.
Provincial police counterterrorism units conducted raids in provinces including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Hatay, Antalya and Kocaeli, among others.
Praising the teams that contributed to the operations, Yerlikaya noted, “We will continue our operations day and night, 365 days a year, to ensure peace and stability throughout the country.”
On the other hand, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also announced an operation targeting suspected financial support networks linked to Daesh. Prosecutors said five individuals were identified as having sent money to the group and its members under the guise of humanitarian aid, allegedly to sustain the group’s activities and prevent members from leaving the group.
The operation was carried out by the Terrorism Financing and Anti-Money Laundering Crimes Bureau, which ordered the detention of the five suspects. Authorities said investigations into the group’s financial channels are continuing.
Türkiye has intensified counterterrorism efforts in recent years, targeting Daesh cells and financing networks amid broader regional security concerns.
The terrorist group has been largely dormant in Türkiye, though authorities recently detained several suspects linked to the terrorist group after three police officers were killed in September when a gunman, allegedly a brainwashed teenager, attacked a police station in western Türkiye’s Izmir. In 2024, two Daesh suspects attacked an Istanbul church, killing one man. Türkiye has escalated operations against Daesh in recent years, especially after the 2015 bombings that targeted a rally in Ankara. Operations in Syria led to the elimination of senior leaders of the group.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also underlined on Thursday during the 16th Ambassadors Conference that Daesh was indeed a major threat, but regional countries, especially Türkiye and Syria, can tackle the issue effectively through a good cooperation mechanism.
Fidan pointed out that Türkiye was experienced in counterterrorism, due to its fight against the PKK and other terrorist groups in the past decades and developed comprehensive skills in this area. He said Daesh carved a way for itself in Syria due to the threatening environment in that country during the civil war and urged international and regional cooperation for the recovery of Syria, preventing hostile elements from exploiting the current situation in the country.
