Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has captured and repatriated a senior Daesh operative who had accepted suicide attack assignments targeting civilians across multiple countries, Turkish security sources confirmed on Monday.
The suspect identified as Mehmet Goren, codenamed “Yahya,” is a Turkish national who rose to a managerial role within Daesh’s Afghanistan-based Khorasan affiliate after travelling to the region and receiving armed and ideological training at the group’s camps.
Authorities said Goren had agreed to carry out suicide attacks in Afghanistan, Türkiye, Europe, and other locations on behalf of the organization.
Senior role and links to earlier Daesh network
MIT’s investigation established that Goren worked closely with Ozgur Altun also known as “Abu Yasir al-Turki,” a senior Daesh figure previously captured and extradited to Türkiye.
Altun had played a key role in facilitating the transfer of Daesh members from Europe and Central Asia to Afghanistan and was considered the group’s highest-ranking Turkish media and logistics official.
Security sources said Goren and Altun operated within the same recruitment and facilitation network, underscoring the transnational nature of Daesh’s operational structure.
Goren was found to have survived earlier air strikes targeting Daesh elements before going into hiding.
Following detailed technical and physical surveillance Turkish intelligence located Goren at Pak-Afghan border region and carried out a targeted operation to detain him and return him to Türkiye.
During questioning Goren provided information about his coordination with Altun, the training he received and the suicide missions assigned to him by Daesh commanders.
Regional intelligence cooperation and ISKP threat
Security officials said the operation disrupted planned Daesh attacks and exposed recruitment and logistics pipelines linked to Afghanistan.
Analysts note that Daesh-Khorasan Province remains active inside Afghanistan, where it continues to recruit foreign fighters and plan external operations.
Senior journalist ShahabUllah Yousafzai said intelligence cooperation among regional and international partners has intensified in response to the ISKP threat.
He noted that law-enforcement agencies in Pakistan, Türkiye, Gulf countries, and the United States maintain close coordination, with international assistance focused on dismantling ISKP networks operating from Afghan territory.
Yousafzai added that further arrests of senior Daesh figures are expected following recent breakthroughs against the group’s leadership and propaganda apparatus.
The arrest of Goren follows an earlier joint operation involving Turkish intelligence and Pakistan’s law-enforcement agencies that led to the capture of Ozgur Altun, highlighting sustained efforts to dismantle Daesh’s transnational infrastructure linked to Afghanistan.
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