Outlawed PKK declared ceasefire: End of a 40-Year conflict?
The infamous Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a militant group banned by some European countries, declared an immediate ceasefire on March 1, 2025. The ceasefire followed the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan’s disarmament order. It is a significant step toward ending a 40-year insurgency in Turkey. Abdullah Ocalan called on the Kurdistan Workers Party to surrender […]
Syrian forces capture senior ISIS commander Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi
Syrian security authorities announced that it captured a senior Daesh (ISIS) commander. News agency SANA has reported that the Syrian Intelligence Service has verified that a leader of Daesh, known as “Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi,” was apprehended in Syria. “We managed to capture Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi, an ISIS leader, who filled significant positions in the so-called […]
Türkiye’s counterterrorism efforts eliminate over 270 PKK/YPG militants
Turkish Defense Ministry said that its security forces have eliminated a total of 278 PKK terrorists so far in 2025. Ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk said, “In the past week, 57 terrorists were eliminated in northern Iraq and Syria,” at a weekly press briefing in the capital of Ankara. Continuous and comprehensive” counterterrorism operations […]
Turkey arrests 100 Daesh suspects in counterterrorism operations
Turkey arrested 100 suspected members of the Daesh terrorist outfit in the past week, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced. The Turkish authorities’s operations, called “Gurz-41” and “Gurz-42,” were conducted throughout 24 provinces, including the capital, Ankara, and Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya said on X. Turkish authorities specified that the suspects were involved in activities within […]
Turkish security forces arrested 25 suspects linked to FETÖ
The Turkish security forces arrested 25 suspects accused of ties to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and ISIS. Sources indicated there were operations conducted in five provinces to combat terror activities. Nineteen suspects were arrested during coordinated operations carried out against FETÖ in Istanbul, Zonguldak, Sivas Kocaeli, and Ankara. From the searches conducted in their […]
Turkish Law Enforcement Arrests 13 IS Linked Terrorist
Turkish law enforcement arrested 13 of the 23 IS suspects caught in nationwide operations, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported. He said the suspects, who were arrested in Izmir and western Manisa provinces, as well as southern Adana, were suspected of being involved within the Daesh terrorist association, including planning attacks by bringing weapons on […]
Syrian Democratic Forces Anti-Terrorism Campaign against ISIS
The Syrian Democratic Forces conducted a counter-terrorism operation in December 2024 and detained several ISIS members in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor as part of dismantling ISIS cells in northeast Syria. The group had been taking advantage of the local instability to that end. On December 27, 2024, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced that they had […]
Türkiye’s Success in Neutralizing 3,038 Terrorists in 2024
Türkiye National Defence Ministry has reported that its Defense forces in 2024 have neutralised 3,038 terrorists pushing a “major blow” to the terrorist bodies PKK, its Syrian units the YPG/PYD, as well as IS, especially in Syria and northern Iraq. According to Turkish media outlet TRT World, as part of these counterterrorism measures, “3,038 terrorists […]
Türkiye and the US discussed counter-terrorism and stability in Syria
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held high-level combating terrorism talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concentrated on stabilizing Syria. Hakan Fidan, talking at a joint press conference with the US Secretary of State in the capital, Ankara, expressed Turkish-US preferences in Syria, including stability, combating terrorism, and placing an end to terrorist Daesh/ISIS […]
Qatar: Middle East’s First Nation to Brief UN on Counter-Terrorism Progress
Qatar became the first country in the Middle East to brief the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee on November 21, 2024. The State of Qatar reported to the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on its actions to counter terrorism since the Committee’s inspection visit in 2020. Since 2005, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), working on behalf […]