Ankara cracks down on Daesh financiers in nationwide operation

Turkish authorities have detained 27 individuals, including five Turkish nationals, on suspicion of financing the Daesh terrorist organization, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced.

According to an official statement, the suspects were apprehended following a coordinated investigation conducted by the Terrorist Crimes Investigation Bureau in collaboration with the Ankara Provincial Police Department and the Provincial Gendarmerie Command, Caliber.Az reports citing Turkish media.

The operation targeted financial networks allegedly supporting Daesh through direct cash transfers and bank accounts opened in the group’s name.

The prosecutor’s office said the suspects are accused of committing the crime of “financing terrorism” by providing financial resources to Daesh. Furthermore, authorities determined that the suspects had also been actively engaged in the group’s operations in Syria and Iraq.

The raids, which were carried out simultaneously across seven provinces with Ankara as the central hub, mark a significant step in Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist financing networks.

The Ankara Provincial Police Department and the Anti-Terrorism Branch of the Provincial Gendarmerie Command are continuing the legal procedures necessary for the transfer of the suspects to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Counterterrorism efforts remain a high priority for Türkiye, which has faced persistent threats from Daesh and other terrorist groups. Turkish officials note that since the collapse of Daesh’s self-declared “caliphate” in 2019, remnants of the group have attempted to regroup and recruit from within Türkiye, particularly through the so-called Khorasan Province (Daesh-K) network.

Security sources report that this network seeks "new methods" to conduct its activities, including recruiting foreign nationals, as it struggles under the pressure of sustained counterterrorism operations. In response, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has intensified efforts to intercept recruitment and logistics operations, particularly following the January 2024 church shooting in Istanbul, which reignited concerns over Daesh's domestic threat.

By Vafa Guliyeva