Turkish intelligence deals heavy blow to Daesh/ISIS terror group

By Sefa Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization dealt a severe blow to the Daesh/ISIS terror group in the past three years, with senior members captured and terrorists' plans uncovered.

In numerous anti-terror operations at home and abroad between February 2019 and April 2022, the Turkish intelligence nabbed several senior and wanted Daesh/ISIS terrorists.

Kasim Guler, codenamed Abu Usame al Turki, was brought to Türkiye after he was arrested in an operation led by the Turkish intelligence in Syria on June 15, 2021.

Guler, who was responsible for terrorist activities in Türkiye and was named in the red category of the Interior Ministry's wanted terrorists list, was remanded by a Turkish court.

Two Daesh/ISIS terrorists, Orhan Moran and Mustafa Kilicli, were captured in Syria and brought back to Türkiye on April 18. The two later admitted that they were planning attacks in Türkiye and on the Turkish military in Syria.

In a joint operation by the police and the intelligence, a senior Daesh/ISIS terrorist was arrested in Türkiye's capital Ankara on Feb. 24, 2021.

The terrorist was a former officer of the Iraqi military and became a senior operative of the terror group in the northern Mosul province.

Authorities nabbed four suspects with links to the terrorist group in the northwestern Bursa city on Feb. 17, 2019.

Among the suspects were two women who were wanted by Interpol with "red" and "blue" notices.

Separately, the Turkish intelligence and security forces carried out simultaneous operations to destroy the terror group's financial and logistics network in Türkiye.

Tunisian national Mahmud Jabran, Lebanese Mohammed Mehdi Aldine, and Syrian Husam Elhumeydi, codenamed Refik, were captured in Istanbul, Ankara and the southern Mersin province, respectively.

On May 2, 2021, a local directorate of the intelligence and anti-terror police unit in Istanbul held a terror suspect who was found to be linked with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the killed leader of Daesh/ISIS. The suspect was later remanded by a Turkish court.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.

In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

- Dozens of senior PKK terrorists neutralized abroad

Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Organization "neutralized" 82 senior PKK terrorists during cross-border anti-terror operations from Jan. 1 to July 25, 2019. Additionally, eight senior figures of the terror group were nabbed and brought back to Türkiye.

Cimsit Demir, codenamed Piro Karker, wanted by Interpol with red notive, was captured in northern Iraq and brought to Türkiye in 2021.

Halef El Muhammed, codenamed Sofi Nurettin, Ulas Dogan, codenamed Ulas Dersim, and Ozcan Yildiz, codenamed doctor Rodi, were among senior terrorists that were neutralized in northern Iraq in 2021. El Muhammed and Dogan were named in the red category of Türkiye's wanted terrorists list.

The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange, and gray.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorist in question surrendered or was killed or captured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.