According to authorities on Thursday, 16 alleged members of the terrorist organisation Daesh were taken into custody in Istanbul. A total of 23 people are being sought by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul on suspicion of acting as “foreign terrorist fighters” inside Daesh.
According to police, a search is being conducted for the seven surviving suspects. Operations against Daesh nationwide are a top priority for Turkey. According to Turkish security sources, some suspected Daesh members have relocated to Turkey since the self-declared “caliphate” collapsed in 2019. They run a network known as Khorasan Province (Daesh-K), which seeks “new methods” and recruits more foreigners for its operations after ongoing counterterrorism operations became a “challenge.”
Turkey continues to be an important regional player, actively pushing back against Daesh with military actions in northern Syria and Iraq, border security actions, and diplomatic actions to isolate organisations it considers terrorist threats. Its strategy has both direct military intervention and strategic alliances designed to stabilise its southern border and avert a resurgence of Daesh.
Turkey continues to carry out strong counterterrorism actions against Daesh (ISIS) fighters in northern Syria and Iraq. Since the beginning of 2025, Turkish troops have “neutralised” hundreds of terrorists, and as of late February 2025, 452 militants had been killed, taken into custody, or surrendered, including 266 in northern Syria and 186 in northern Iraq.
Following its most recent operation in the wake of a church attack in Istanbul in January 2024, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) successfully blocked the terrorist organisation’s recruiting attempts and secured financial and logistical backing. As one of the first nations to designate Daesh as a terrorist organisation in 2013, it continues to pose the second-largest danger to Turkish security, which is threatened by a number of terrorist organisations.
Thirty-two people were arrested by Turkish security authorities in December of last year on suspicion of having ties to Daesh, which was organising assaults against synagogues, churches, and the Iraqi Embassy. In Turkey, terrorists from Daesh and other organisations, including the PKK and its Syrian branch, the YPG, depend on a network of sympathisers and members. In accordance with UN sanctions, Turkish authorities have been blocking assets worth millions of lira since 2013 in an effort to combat those who finance terrorists.
