In a comprehensive anti-terrorist crackdown effort inTürkiye, a total of 357 suspects believed to have ties with the Islamist group ISIS have been apprehended, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.
The concerted effort to rid the country of terror was simultaneously carried out in 21 provinces, reflecting the government’s vigilance in ensuring a terror-free environment in preparation for significant domestic and foreign gatherings.
Terör örgütü DEAŞ’a yönelik bu sabah Yalova’da gerçekleştirilen operasyonda şehit olan kahraman emniyet mensuplarımıza Cenab-ı Allah’tan rahmet niyaz ediyor; ailelerine sabır; Emniyet Teşkilatımıza, ülkemize ve milletimize başsağlığı diliyorum.…
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) December 29, 2025
While posting a video onTürkiye’s social media platform NSosyal, Yerlikaya reiterated that “all operations entailed strong cooperation between provincial intelligence units of the police, the intelligence units of the police to combat terrorism, and the offices of the chief prosecutor.” He added that this was a clear indication of a policy of “no tolerance against terrorism whatsoever” byTürkiye.
İçişleri Bakanımız Sayın Ali Yerlikaya ve beraberindeki heyetle birlikte Emniyet Genel Müdürümüz Sayın Mahmut Demirtaş Yalova’da DEAŞ’lı teröristlerce düzenlenen hain saldırı sonucu yaralanan kahraman mesai arkadaşlarımızı tedavi gördükleri hastanede ziyaret ederek geçmiş olsun… pic.twitter.com/AQaQ6cZOVV
— Türk Polis Teşkilatı (@EmniyetGM) December 30, 2025
Istanbul arrests tied to Yalova attack and New Year’s plots
According to a report by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 110 suspects were arrested in this city alone.
Out of these, 41 people were identified as being in connection with terrorists who attacked Yalova province on Monday. It was disclosed that these suspects planned attacks on Istanbul residents during the celebration of the approaching New Year. This clearly shows that ISIS cells are targeting large events.
Ankara issues warrants for foreign nationals
In the capital, arrest warrants were also issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against the members of the ISIS terrorist group, of whom 11 were foreigners. They were charged with membership in the terrorist group as well as links to combat zones in foreign countries, accentuating the international aspect of the threat posed by the ISIS group.
As confirmed by the officials, the individuals were identified by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau through an analysis of the digital evidence that was seized within the context of previous Daesh-related investigations. The aforementioned function illustrates the capabilities that Türkiye has developed within the realm of intelligence-driven counter-terrorism operations.
Türkiye’s ongoing fight against terrorism
The last ten years have been a period of being at the forefront of the battle against ISIS in the wider world for Türkiye, having to deal with its position within close proximity to conflict regions in Syria and Iraq. Efforts like this show its comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism.
Through continued efforts to disrupt ISIS cells within its territory and being alert to the presence of foreign fighters and online networks, Türkiye makes it clear to terrorists and to the international community that it will do everything to counter threats and protect its citizens.
When did Turkey launch its largest anti-ISIS operations?
The Euphrates Shield operation ranks amongst the greatest counter-terrorism efforts by Turkey against ISIS. The operation commenced on August 24, 2016, when the=tfTurkish tanks, artillery, air force, and special teams entered Syrian territory together with Free Syrian Army rebels against ISIS to seize control of Jarablus from ISIS, which was the last ISIS stronghold on the country’s joint border.
The campaign, which ended in March 2017, cleared ISIS from an area of over 2,000 square kilometers, including critical cities such as al-Bab, after fierce fighting that resulted in the death of countless fighters, as well as the destruction of the ISIS command center, as well as various vehicles and fighting positions.
In addition to fighting ISIS, this was a preemptive strike to halt Kurdish YPG expansion, which was Turkey’s large-scale direct invasion of Syria against this terrorist entity, given Turkish military strikes of 271 targets with known Turkish casualty losses around al-Bab.
Operation Claw-Sword was one of the largest-scale counter-terrorism operations by Turkey against affiliates of ISIS and other militants. It started in November 2022, when Turkey carried out airstrikes and drone attacks against more than 90 targets in Syria and Iraq, also targeting ISIS positions in northern Syria as part of its efforts to neutralize terrorist threats along its border after a bombing in Istanbul claimed by ISIS-Khorasan.
These military operations targeted and destroyed command centers, weapons depots, and ISIS militants’ camps, resulting in the killing of several ISIS militants, while the operations synchronized with ground intelligence to avert any attacks within the Turkish territory. These operations, such as the Euphrates Shield, reinforced the strategy of fighting ISIS in the Syrian conflict.
