Turkey claims to have arrested the country's top ISIS official in an ongoing crackdown on the militant group. AP
Turkey claims to have arrested the country's top ISIS official in an ongoing crackdown on the militant group. AP
Turkey claims to have arrested the country's top ISIS official in an ongoing crackdown on the militant group. AP
Turkey claims to have arrested the country's top ISIS official in an ongoing crackdown on the militant group. AP

Arrest of Turkey's ISIS 'emir' highlights skewed anti-terrorism priorities


  • English
  • Arabic

The arrest of the man accused of being ISIS’s “emir” in Turkey has led to questions about the Turkish authorities’ approach to extremism.

Mahmut Ozden’s arrest in the southern city of Adana on Tuesday halted plans to kidnap Turkish political figures and hit economic targets, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, adding that he had been receiving orders from Syria and Iraq.

However, the fact that Mr Ozden has been on the security forces’ radar for several years, having first appeared in a 2015 ISIS video threatening Turkey, raised doubts about why he had not been successfully prosecuted earlier. Before Tuesday, he was detained at least four times since 2017.

Journalist Eker Acarer described the case as a scandal. “Is the interior minister unaware of the intelligence reports and the Ministry of Justice’s information?” he asked.

Turkey regularly carries out raids against ISIS and Mr Ozden’s arrest reportedly stemmed from the capture a week earlier of a suspect who had been reconnoitring targets in Istanbul.

We're seeing inexperienced people dealing with these difficult cases and they often don't have the ability to do it

However, Turkey’s earlier reputation as a route for foreign fighters travelling to Syria and Iraq has led to claims it does not prioritise the ISIS threat, despite some 300 deaths in attacks attributed to the group in Turkey between 2014 and 2017.

Instead, critics say anti-terror operations primarily focus on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has carried out a 36-year insurgency against Turkey, or the group said to be behind a 2016 coup attempt, which the government has labelled the Fethullahist Terror Organisation, or Feto.

“Turkish officials still view PKK and Feto as a greater threat to national security,” said Berkay Mandiraci, Turkey analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“The terrorism definition is applied more broadly to those charged on PKK/Feto-linked suspects… Prosecutors tend to dig deep when it comes to PKK or Feto suspects, while those charged for ISIS links get released more often for lack of evidence.”

A defence lawyer who has dealt with terrorism cases said the purges carried out following the coup attempt had seen many experienced police officers, prosecutors and judges removed from their posts.

“Now we’re seeing inexperienced people dealing with these difficult cases and they often don’t have the ability to do it,” said the lawyer.

“Courts are sometimes presented with indictments that seem to consist of cut-and-paste allegations irrelevant to the particular case.”

A file photo of a raid by Turkish police officers to arrest ISIS suspects. AP
A file photo of a raid by Turkish police officers to arrest ISIS suspects. AP

However, a Turkish security source denied any soft-pedalling regarding operations against ISIS suspects.

“ISIS is a real and long-term threat to Turkey,” he said. “No country in the West has faced rocket attacks or the numbers of people killed. The potential number of ISIS terrorists in Turkey is higher than any country in the West. But it’s very hard to uncover this community and find proof.”

Up to 9,000 Turkish citizens are estimated to have lived in ISIS-controlled territory before the fall of its de facto capital Raqqa in 2017.

Ahmet Yayla, a former counter-terrorism police chief in the Turkish border city of Sanliurfa, said ISIS was using Turkey to regroup.

“Currently ISIS is going through a recovery process,” said Dr Yayla, who teaches at DeSales University in the US. “They’re trying to regain their membership and at the same time rebuild a logistics network so Turkey is a recruiting and logistics base for them. They need to establish a secure cell network in Turkey.”

The release of ISIS suspects after arrest indicated that they are not considered a threat, he said. “Either they are working with Turkish intelligence or the judiciary releases them because they know they shouldn’t be messing with ISIS and its operatives.”

Turkey has not faced an ISIS attack since a gunman killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day in 2017 – a period during which Turkish security forces say they thwarted 30 planned attacks.

However, when ISIS head Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi appeared in a video in April last year, six months before he was killed by US special forces, he brandished a folder labelled “Turkey Province”, sparking concerns about the group’s footprint in the country.

Such a display, though, was likely to be a propaganda tool, according to the security source, who questioned the existence of an overall ISIS leader for Turkey.

“Ozden’s an important guy in terms of local matters [in Adana] and capturing him is a positive step in fighting ISIS but I don’t think he’s the guy who controls everything for ISIS in Turkey,” the source said.

“It’s good for the minister to say we’ve captured the head of ISIS but I don’t think there’s such a thing.”

While there were signs of ISIS reorganising in Turkey, it remained too fractured between multiple cells, many without any communication to the leadership outside Turkey, he added.

Mr Mandiraci, who co-authored a June report on Turkey’s ISIS returnees, said many remained in touch with fellow members and “continued to express a desire to join a new caliphate should the opportunity emerge”.

________________

Coronavirus around the region 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

Gully Boy

Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi​​​​​​​
Rating: 4/5 stars

The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals

To qualify automatically

UAE must beat Iraq.

Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

 

To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match

UAE must beat Iraq.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Liverpool 3

Sadio Man 28'

Andrew Robertson 34'

Diogo Jota 88'

Arsenal 1

Lacazette 25'

Man of the match

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Mobile phone packages comparison
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final

Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')

RESULT

West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' ) 
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72') 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

While you're here
The cost of Covid testing around the world

Egypt

Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists

Information can be found through VFS Global.

Jordan

Dh212

Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.

Cambodia

Dh478

Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.

Zanzibar

AED 295

Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.

Abu Dhabi

Dh85

Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.

UK

From Dh400

Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5