Operation in 30 Provinces, Turkey Arrest 119 People Affiliated with Daesh Militants

JAKARTA - The Turkish Ministry of the Interior (Kemendagri) revealed that its police had arrested 119 people across Turkey who were suspected of being linked to the Daesh militant group.

"(199) suspects were arrested in a police operation carried out in 30 provinces against the Daesh terrorist organization. Including in Istanbul and Ankara," the Turkish Ministry of the Interior said, quoted by AP, Sunday, July 19.

In addition to being accused of having ties to the Daesh group, those arrested were also accused of spreading Daesh propaganda on social media and funding Daesh through intermediaries or "so-called charities".

At the end of June 2026, Turkish police were involved in a shootout in the south of Ankara with a man suspected of being linked to Daesh who was eventually killed. The incident occurred two weeks before the NATO summit was held in the capital.

After that, 209 people suspected of being related to the Daesh group or left-wing groups were arrested in Ankara on the orders of the city's chief prosecutor.