Turkish police have captured a total of 182 suspects linked to the Daesh terrorist group in nationwide operations, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Wednesday.
Türkiye has been hit by several major attacks claimed by Daesh, including a 2017 nightclub shooting that killed dozens of people.
Security measures have been tightened across the country following an attack by PKK terrorists in Ankara in late October, which killed five and injured 22 others.
The fresh raids, codenamed “Gürz-31-32-33,” took place across 22 cities for the past three weeks, Yerlikaya said on X.
The minister said 43 suspects have been arrested, 24 were released on probation, and the others are still being processed.
The suspects took an active part in Daesh operations in the past and are facing an investigation for financing the terrorist group and spreading its propaganda on social media platforms, Yerlikaya added.
Police also seized lots of organization documents and digital materials during raids, Yerlikaya said, adding Türkiye was determined to “root out” terrorism.
Turkish authorities have intensely targeted Daesh cells with Gürz operations, detaining at least 943 suspects in 2024 alone.
Since the 2019 collapse of the self-proclaimed “caliphate,” some suspected Daesh members have settled in Türkiye, operating a so-called Khorasan Province (Daesh-K) network, which looks for “new methods” and recruits more foreign nationals for its activities after constant counterterrorism operations became a “challenge,” according to Turkish security sources.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted the terrorist group’s efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January.
Turkish authorities said that since June 2023, more than 3,600 people with suspected ties to the terrorist group have been arrested.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it as 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.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with U.N. sanctions.