Pakistan Turkey collaboration led to arrest of key Daesh terrorist

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Turkish intelligence agencies’ cooperation led to arrest of key Daesh operative Ozgur Altun, most wanted to Turkey’s law enforcement agencies.

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Pakistan’s ISI in a joint operation captured Ozgur Altun at Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Turkish media reported that Altun, also known under the alias “Abu Yasir Al Turki,” is a key operative of Daesh and once referred as the group’s media spokesperson.

It is the first high-profile, public display of cooperation between the intelligence services of the two countries.

Daesh remains a threat to Turkey, which lost dozens of its citizens in attacks by the group that thrived in its southern neighbors, Iraq and Syria.

Ozgur Altun, was identified through the work of MIT, which discovered a Turkish-origin suspect who organized crossings to Pak-Afghan region from Europe and Central Asian countries.

Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Turkey, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.

In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh, who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi Embassy.