Turkish, Pakistani intel capture key ISIL member

ANKARA

A top Turkish-origin ISIL member was captured on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a joint operation by Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), officials said on May 31.

Özgür Altun, also known as “Abu Yasir Al Turki,” was handed over to Turkish intelligence by Pakistani authorities after the capture.

Altun, once hailed by the group as its media spokesperson, was among the most wanted members within the international ISIL network, according to the Interior Ministry.

Security sources said Altun had been involved in facilitating the passage of ISIL recruits from Europe and Central Asia into Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was also linked to planned attacks in Türkiye and European venues, including concert halls.

MİT uncovered Altun’s activities in Afghanistan, where he had traveled illegally from Türkiye, and discovered he was planning to cross into Pakistan. Upon receiving this intelligence, ISI launched an operation in coordination with MİT, capturing Altun at the border, the sources said.

Altun was deported to Türkiye, where he confessed to his role as a key figure in ISIL's Turkish and English-language propaganda. He admitted to coordinating the recruitment of Turkish nationals for ISIL activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan and acknowledged his role in terror attacks globally.