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ANKARA: Turkey captured the brand new chief of the militant group Daesh in a raid in Istanbul, native media claimed on Thursday.
Turkish dissident information web site Oda TV claimed Abu Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurayshi was caught in an operation directed by Istanbul’s police chief, Zafer Aktas, after days of surveillance and preparation, although no official assertion has but been made.
In line with Turkish press stories, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is predicted to unveil particulars of the operation within the coming days.
The earlier chief of Daesh, Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurayshi, was killed in northwestern Syria on Feb. 3 by US forces.
In current months, Turkish police have systematically carried out raids towards Daesh cells throughout the nation. Earlier in Could, a potential suicide bomber allegedly linked to the group was arrested in Urfa on the Syrian border, whereas three extra individuals had been detained the identical week in Bursa.
On Thursday, one other Daesh member was shot lifeless by police whereas allegedly making an attempt to blow himself up in entrance of the police division within the southeastern province of Gaziantep.
Specialists word that this most up-to-date operation could possibly be used as leverage by Ankara to up the ante towards its NATO allies as a way to present its dedication to counterterrorism efforts.
It’s not a coincidence that Ankara allegedly captured the highest determine of Daesh amid ongoing debates about NATO enlargement and Turkey’s accusations towards some Nordic international locations about their alleged help of terror teams.
Soner Cagaptay, Analyst
Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Analysis Program on the Washington Institute, thinks that the timing of the operation in Istanbul is telling.
“It’s not a coincidence that Ankara allegedly captured the highest determine of Daesh amid ongoing debates about NATO enlargement and Turkey’s accusations towards some Nordic international locations about their alleged help of terror teams,” he informed Arab Information.
In line with Cagaptay, Turkey is aligning with Western safety priorities and making an attempt to remind its NATO allies that it helps them towards widespread terror threats.
Turkey can be a part of the massive worldwide coalition of countries that has spent years combating Daesh.
Through the newest ministerial assembly of the coalition within the Moroccan metropolis of Marrakesh, Turkey’s International Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu additionally introduced up Turkey’s personal issues, saying the struggle towards Daesh can’t be received with the assistance of different terror teams.
This was extensively interpreted as a reference to Kurdish teams such because the Folks’s Safety Forces, or YPG, which has acquired some help from Sweden, which is making use of to hitch NATO — a transfer Turkey is, consequently, opposing.
“This newest operation in Istanbul is instrumental for Ankara to induce the Western alliance that it’s now their flip to grasp Turkey’s home terrorism issues that cowl not solely Daesh but in addition different terror teams together with the Kurdistan Staff’ Occasion — PKK — and its Syrian offshoot YPG,” Cagaptay mentioned.
The reported seize of Al-Qurayshi additionally coincided with the gathering of the Nationwide Safety Council, chaired by Erdogan, on Thursday, the place particulars of Turkey’s impending operation towards YPG militants in northern Syria was mentioned.
“The operations at present carried out, or to be carried out, as a way to clear our southern borders from the specter of terrorism, don’t in any approach goal the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our neighbors they usually pose a necessity for our nationwide safety wants,” the assembly’s last communique mentioned.
Ankara believes it faces safety threats from Manbij, Ain Al-Arab and the Tal Rifat district of Aleppo, which it considers bases for hostile teams.
Erdogan introduced on Monday that he would launch the offensive into northern Syria to push again the YPG, and safe a 30 kilometer secure zone to settle Syrian refugees at present residing in Turkey.
Nonetheless, a possible navy operation — after three earlier offensives — doesn’t appear to have acquired approval from the US in the intervening time.
“We acknowledge Turkey’s reputable safety issues on Turkey’s southern border, however any new offensive would additional undermine regional stability and put in danger US forces and the coalition’s marketing campaign towards ISIS (Daesh),” US State Division spokesperson Ned Value mentioned on Could 24 in a press briefing.
Colin P. Clarke, director of analysis at The Soufan Group, thinks that anti-Daesh operations in Turkey can have a big impression on the group’s presence within the area.
“Even when Daesh nonetheless held its territorial ‘caliphate,’ it was dispatching operatives to Turkey to put the groundwork for monetary and logistical help networks. These networks have paid off for Daesh, because it’s allowed the management constant entry to cash,” he informed Arab Information.
In line with Clarke, the Turkish authorities must be incentivized to crack down even more durable on Daesh, however there’s some concern a couple of backlash, together with terror assaults inside Turkey.
Daesh members have carried out various assaults throughout the nation, together with a minimum of 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings, and 4 armed assaults, which have killed 315 individuals and injured a whole lot of others so far.
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