Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday that 164 suspects were captured in a week of operations against terrorist group Daesh in 21 provinces. The operations entitled “Mace-44” are part of long-running efforts against the group that carried out several attacks in the country in the past decade. Yerlikaya said in a social media post that Türkiye’s social solidarity and common values have been the most efficient defense mechanism to prevent terrorism from spreading. “We are determined to stamp out terrorism from our country through a widespread fight,” he said. Yerlikaya stated that among the captured suspects were active members of the group who funded Daesh and operations also led to the seizure of pistols, rifles and a trove of digital propaganda material.
Turkish authorities have intensely targeted Daesh cells with Gürz (Mace) 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 United Nations sanctions.
