Türkiye arrests 170 suspected ISIS members in nationwide operation VIDEO

Turkish authorities have arrested 170 people suspected of links to ISIS over the past two weeks.

The operation, carried out across 32 provinces, targeted individuals allegedly involved in financing the terrorist organisation or previously participating in its activities, the country’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said on X page on December 19.

“32 ilde DEAŞ’a yönelik polisimizin yaptığı operasyonlarımızla 170 şüpheliyi yakaladık”

🔻Geçmiş dönemlerde DEAŞ terör örgütü içerisinde faaliyet yürüten,
🔻Örgüte finans sağlayan şüpheliler, son 2 haftadır süren operasyonlarımızda yakalandı.

İlk etapta;
❗10’u TUTUKLANDI.… pic.twitter.com/F60U6fjS7L

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) December 19, 2025

Arrests were made in Istanbul, Ankara and other provinces. Ten of those detained have been formally remanded in custody, while investigations into the remaining suspects are ongoing.

The Islamic State (ISIS), also known as ISIL or Daesh, emerged as a brutal terrorist group in 2013-2014, seizing territory in Iraq and Syria and carrying out attacks worldwide.

Türkiye designated ISIS a terrorist organisation early on and suffered major attacks between 2015 and 2017, including bombings in Ankara, Istanbul's Atatürk Airport, and a nightclub, killing hundreds.

Initially accused of leniency toward ISIS flows across its border, Türkiye joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in 2014, later intensifying operations with airstrikes, border security, and domestic raids.

Since 2015, Turkish authorities have conducted frequent nationwide operations, arresting thousands of suspects for links, financing, or past involvement in ISIS activities.

By Aghakazim Guliyev