Turkish intelligence, in coordination with its Syrian counterpart, has arrested 10 members of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) with Turkish citizenship, including an element linked to the bombing of the Ankara train station in 2015, according to the Anadolu News Agency.
Anadolu quoted security sources as saying that the elements were transferred to Turkey after their arrest, as all 10 members are wanted by the Red Notice and are of Turkish origin.
Direct involvement inside Turkey. and leadership roles within the organization
Investigations confirmed that the arrested persons participated in armed activities inside Turkey, and that one of them, named "Ömer Deniz Dündar", was linked to the perpetrators of the twin suicide bombing that took place in front of the Ankara train station in October 2015, which resulted in more than 300 deaths and injuries.
It was also found that one of the detainees held the position of "Emir of Intelligence" within the organization in Turkey, and participated in planning operations targeting the Turkish armed forces, in addition to working within the so-called "Al-Farouk Office", which is responsible for the organization's activity inside the country.
Investigations revealed that most of the detainees were active inside Turkey before entering Syria, and that most of them worked in Al-Farouq's office.
"Al-Farouk Office"
The Farouk Office is one of the most important organizational units within ISIS, as it has played a pivotal role in managing the group's activity across multiple regions.
The bureau initially oversaw the group's operations in the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia, before merging in 2024 with the "Siddiq Office" to expand its scope of work to include coordinating attacks in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Central Asia.
In the Syrian-Turkish context, the organization used the same name to refer to a unit responsible for its activity inside Turkey, as it managed media propaganda, provided logistical support, secured crossing routes between Syria and Turkey, and coordinated between local cells and the central command.
Intensive security coordination between Syria and Turkey
Security coordination between Turkey and Syria has escalated within the framework of the fight against ISIS, as the security services in the two countries carried out several joint operations that resulted in the arrest of prominent elements in various areas of northern Syria.
According to Turkish security sources, the first of these operations began in the last quarter of 2023, when Turkish and Syrian intelligence was able to dismantle a smuggling network that was transporting ISIS elements from Idlib to the Turkish border, leading to the arrest of six elements inside Syria and three others inside Turkish territory.
The two sides also carried out a joint operation in mid-2024, in the Aleppo countryside, which led to the arrest of a senior leader within the organization who was responsible for recruiting Turkish fighters and managing lines of communication with cells inside Turkey. During the operation, documents and communication devices used to coordinate the group's cells were seized.
Late 2024 also saw another security operation targeting elements who escaped from prisons in northern Syria after attacks carried out by the group, where a number of them were arrested in the countryside of Raqqa and Aleppo before they were able to reach the Turkish border.
At the beginning of 2025, Turkish and Syrian intelligence carried out a precise operation targeting media and logistical units linked to the so-called "Al-Farouk Office ", the arm responsible for ISIS's activity inside Turkey, and resulted in the seizure of propaganda equipment and the arrest of elements who were managing the group's media content.