Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Syrian intelligence forces carried out a coordinated operation in Syria that led to the capture of 10 suspected Daesh members wanted under Interpol Red Notices, security sources said.
The suspects were brought to Türkiye following the operation, which officials said targeted individuals involved in Daesh activities and past attacks against the country.
Joint efforts by MIT and the General Directorate of Security’s counterterrorism department resulted in the arrest of nine of the suspects by a Turkish court after questioning, while one suspect remained in custody with detention procedures ongoing.
Security sources said intelligence work identified the suspects as Turkish nationals who had crossed into Syria in previous years to join Daesh and later became active within the group’s structure.
Investigators determined that several of the suspects had ties to attacks and logistical networks linked to terrorism targeting Türkiye.
Among those detained was Ömer Deniz Dündar, whom authorities said had links to the perpetrators of the 2015 Ankara train station bombing, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Turkish history. The twin bombings killed 109 people and wounded hundreds more.
Officials said fingerprint evidence recovered from explosive devices found on suicide bombers during counterterrorism operations in 2017 was linked to Dündar.
Security sources said the operation began after MIT identified the suspects’ presence in Syria and coordinated with Syrian intelligence services to locate and monitor them.
Their movements were tracked before field operations were launched, culminating in their capture and transfer to Türkiye.
According to information obtained during questioning, the suspects provided details about Daesh operations, including instructions for attacks, military and ideological training and propaganda activities carried out on behalf of the group.
Sources described several detainees as holding operational or logistical roles within Daesh structures linked to Türkiye.
Ali Bora, identified by officials as an alleged Daesh intelligence figure responsible for Türkiye operations, reportedly joined the group in Syria in 2014 and served in multiple units, including the Farouk Office, also referred to as the group’s “Türkiye province.” Security sources said he was involved in planning attacks against Turkish Armed Forces elements.
Other suspects held roles ranging from logistics and media operations to armed activities and administrative work within Daesh.
Hüseyin Peri allegedly worked in Daesh’s health unit after joining the group in Syria in 2014. Security sources said he was later detained by the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian branch, the YPG, and subsequently released in a prisoner exchange before resuming activities with Daesh.
Kadir Gözükara and Abdullah Çobanoğlu were accused of supporting logistics and propaganda operations, while Hakkı Yüksek was described as a close aide to Mustafa Dokumacı, the alleged leader of a Daesh-linked network blamed for attacks in Türkiye.
Other detainees, including Kadir Demir, Çekdar Yılmaz, Murat Özdemir and Ishak Günci, were accused of participating in armed activities and administrative or media operations in Syria after pledging allegiance to Daesh.
Türkiye has intensified extensive counterterrorism operations against Daesh in recent months, rounding up over a thousand suspects in 2026 alone.
Türkiye considers the Daesh terrorist group one of the biggest threats to the country’s security and peace and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013. It has suffered from several Daesh attacks since then, including a deadly Istanbul nightclub shooting on New Year’s in 2017.
At its peak in 2015, Daesh controlled a swath of territory across Iraq and Syria, half the size of the United Kingdom. It was notorious for its brutality against religious minorities, as well as Muslims who do not follow the terrorists’ ideology.
After years of fighting, the U.S.-led coalition broke the group’s last hold on territory in late 2019, but Daesh cells in multiple countries continue to carry out periodic attacks.
