Communications Director Prof. Fahrettin Altun made a statement regarding the fact that DAESH leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was captured dead by the US, saying, “There should be a thorough investigation about the movement of the DAESH leader within Syria and eventually to Idlib. Those responsible for helping, abetting, and tolerating such movements need to be investigated and brought to justice.”
Altun stated on his Twitter account that the killing of DAESH leader is a great success for counter terrorism operations around the world and an important step towards the enduring defeat of DAESH in the region.
Underlining that the fight needs to continue without interruption, Altun stated, “As always, Turkey stands by its allies when it comes to fighting against terrorism in all forms. Turkey has been the victim of big attacks by DAESH since its emergence and has fought extensively against this terror group by using every means available.”
Stating that some of these attacks took place by the direct order of Baghdadi, including the Reina night club attack and the attack against our Mosul Consulate, Altun said that 304 Turkish nationals have lost their lives and 1.338 were wounded due to these attacks.
Altun stated that Turkey has conducted more than 2.000 operations against DAESH in the last four years, adding that there are around 1.200 individuals detained and convicted due to their connection to DAESH and that more than half of them are from 40 different countries.
Altun continued to state the following: “There should be a thorough investigation about the movement of the DAESH leader within Syria and eventually to Idlib. Those responsible for helping, abetting, and tolerating such movements need to be investigated and brought to justice. Turkey expressed its concerns about the reports of accords reached between YPG forces and DAESH members and YPG’s threats to release captured DAESH members from prisons, which they did last week. The international coalition should take steps to prevent this. President Erdoğan stated Turkey’s readiness to provide safety of these facilities. European nations have a serious responsibility on dealing with this issue given that thousands of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) in Syria came from Europe.”
“Demonstrated the necessity of its operations”
Altun added that Turkey has listed 76.818 individuals from 151 countries in its no-entry list and that more than 7.600 foreign nationals from 102 different countries suspected of FTF related activity have already been deported.
Stating that there are 813 foreign nationals that are suspected to be FTFs at 12 removal centers that are being processed, Altun underlined the importance of cooperation with other countries to that end.
Altun reiterated the dangers that an unresolved Syrian question poses to international security and how Turkey is committed to clearing its borders from terror groups, adding, “Last night’s operation demonstrated once again the legitimate concerns of Turkey and the necessity of its operations along its borders. We believe that cooperation against terror groups should not end with the killing of high profile leaders but should continue until all cells of the groups are eradicated and all members of the group are brought to justice.
Once again, we want to emphasize the dangers of support for any terror group for the overall stability and security in Syria and the region. International community should unite to fight against the threat of terrorism.”