Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 39 individuals suspected of involvement with the ISIS terrorist organization were detained during a series of coordinated counterterrorism operations conducted across 18 provinces over the past two weeks.

The operations, which were carried out by provincial gendarmerie teams under the direction of the Gendarmerie General Command’s Anti-Terrorism Department (TEM) and on the orders of Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, targeted suspected ISIS cells and operatives in Adana, Bursa, Çankırı, Çorum, Denizli, Eskişehir, Hatay, İstanbul, Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kocaeli, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, and Tekirdağ.

In a statement shared via his official social media account, Minister Yerlikaya stated that the suspects were actively affiliated with ISIS. Authorities allege they provided financial support through so-called charity organizations linked to the group and engaged in online propaganda efforts to promote its ideology and operations.

Yerlikaya emphasized that the operations resulted in the seizure of numerous organizational documents and digital materials, which are currently being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.

Reiterating Türkiye’s firm stance against terrorism, the interior minister said: “We are determined to pursue terrorist organizations and those who assist or sympathize with them wherever they may be. Our struggle will continue uninterrupted.”

The arrests mark another chapter in Türkiye’s sustained efforts to dismantle ISIS networks and prevent their resurgence within the country. (ILKHA)