Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization, or MIT, has captured a suspected senior operative of the Daesh terrorist group and brought him to Türkiye, security sources said on Wednesday.
The operation targeted the media wing of the Daesh-K, the Afghanistan-based branch of the terrorist organisation, according to the sources.
The suspect, identified as Ahmet Kazanci and known by the aliases "Abu Ubeyde" and "Abu Ibrahim," was detained during the operation. Security sources said Kazanci took over as the group's so-called media chief for Türkiye after the capture of his predecessor, Ozgur Altun.
MIT determined that Kazanci travelled from Türkiye to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, joined the Daesh-K and played an active role in the group's camps, the sources said.
Investigators found that he worked alongside Altun in facilitating the movement of recruits from Türkiye to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and later assumed responsibility for the organisation's activities following Altun's arrest.
According to the sources, intelligence gathered by MIT indicated that Kazanci survived air strikes targeting Daesh terrorists in Pakistan and later planned to re-enter Türkiye illegally to continue operating on behalf of the group.
He was subsequently captured in an operation near the border, the sources said.
During questioning, Kazanci admitted his association with Altun, described the military and ideological training he received within the organisation and acknowledged carrying out media and propaganda activities for the group, according to the sources.
Security sources said the operation disrupted alleged Daesh plans targeting Türkiye and exposed networks used to transfer recruits to the organisation.
