Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, known as MIT, said on Monday, July 13, that it had carried out an operation resulting in the arrest of Talib Guler, also known as “Abd al-Salam al-Turki.” Guler had been active within the Islamic State’s so-called Turkey Province.
Turkish broadcaster TRT reported that Guler entered Syrian territory illegally in January 2014. He continued his activities within the organization in coordination with several of its leaders, most notably his brother, Qasim Guler.
TRT said Turkish intelligence continuously monitored his movements until it arrested him in a carefully planned operation outside Turkey and transferred him to the country.
The Turkish broadcaster said Guler admitted during questioning to details about the stages of his radicalization in Turkey, his move to Syria, and his decision to join the Islamic State. He also described activities he carried out within the organization in cooperation with his brother.
TRT said Turkish intelligence had previously arrested Qasim Guler, who served as the Islamic State official responsible for its Turkey Province and oversaw financial affairs in the so-called al-Farouk Office. He was arrested in a similar operation in 2021 and transferred to Turkey.
Joint Syrian and Turkish Operation
Turkish state media announced on May 23 that ten Turkish nationals suspected of belonging to the Islamic State had been detained inside Syrian territory. The arrests took place during a joint operation by Turkish and Syrian intelligence agencies, which Ankara said followed close monitoring of the suspects’ movements and activities.
According to Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu Agency, the detainees were listed under Interpol Red Notices. They were suspected of involvement in military, security, and media activities linked to the Islamic State, while some were also allegedly connected to attacks carried out in Turkey in previous years.
Turkish security sources said the operation was coordinated by the Turkish and Syrian intelligence agencies after a period of surveillance and monitoring. The suspects were then arrested and transferred to Turkey for further questioning.
Information reported by Turkish media at the time indicated that all the detainees were Turkish nationals who had joined the Islamic State in Syria between 2014 and 2017. They participated in various activities within the organization, including combat, intelligence work, media propaganda, and logistical support.
According to the Turkish account, some of the detainees continued operating in small cells linked to the Islamic State after the organization lost the territories it had controlled in Syria. Others worked in logistics, administration, and media propaganda.
The Turkish operations are part of continuing security and intelligence campaigns conducted by Ankara against the Islamic State. These campaigns have resulted in the arrest or detention of hundreds of suspects and the dismantling of networks involved in financing and propaganda for the organization.