Turkey Reportedly Arrests Senior ISIS-K Media Figure

Turkey Reportedly Arrests Senior ISIS-K Media Figure
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Turkish security forces have reportedly arrested a senior figure linked to the media and propaganda wing of Islamic State-Khorasan, the Afghanistan-based branch of the extremist Sunni group Islamic State.

According to Middle East News, the suspect was identified as Ahmad Kazanci, who allegedly used the aliases Abu Ubaida and Abu Ibrahim. The report said Kazanci had taken over media operations linked to the group in Turkey after the earlier arrest of Ozgur Altun.

Turkish security sources cited in the report said the arrest dealt a significant blow to the group’s propaganda network and disrupted its planned media activities.

The report said Kazanci had previously received training in Islamic State camps in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and survived airstrikes before attempting to enter Turkey illegally to continue militant activity. He was reportedly detained near the border by Turkish security forces.

The reported arrest comes amid a broader Turkish crackdown on Islamic State networks. Turkish authorities have carried out repeated nationwide operations against suspected members, financiers and facilitators of the group, while intelligence agencies have also targeted individuals linked to IS-Khorasan outside Turkey.

Islamic State has carried out several deadly attacks in Turkey over the past decade, including the 2017 Istanbul nightclub attack, and Turkish authorities say counterterrorism operations are continuing to prevent new plots and dismantle recruitment and propaganda structures.