Türkiye captures top ISIS operative at Pakistan-Afghanistan border

Turkish security officials have announced that a high-ranking ISIS (Daesh) operative wanted by Türkiye was apprehended at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border during a coordinated intelligence operation.

Identified as Ozgur Altun, also known by his alias “Abu Yasir Al Turki,” he was recognized as the top Turkish ISIS member involved in the group’s media and logistics operations, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

He was reportedly responsible for orchestrating attacks on concert venues and other civilian targets in Türkiye and Europe. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) had been monitoring Altun and discovered he was facilitating the transfer of ISIS militants from Europe and Central Asia to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

After sharing intelligence, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was informed about Altun’s presence in Afghanistan and his plans to cross into Pakistan. A precise joint operation by MIT and ISI resulted in Altun’s arrest at the border, after which he was extradited to Türkiye for further questioning.

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. 

By Naila Huseynova