24 cities, 97 associations and madrasas: ISIS's network in Turkey
The indictment prepared for the ISIS attack in Yalova revealed the areas opened up to jihadists. The indictment identified a total of 97 associations, mosques and madrasas operating in 24 cities as ‘supporting the DAEŞ terrorist organisation’.
In Yalova, during an operation targeting ISIS on 29 December 2025, the suspects opened fire on the police. In the ensuing clash, three police officers were killed and eight police officers and a security guard were injured. Six ISIS members were killed in the operation.
An investigation was launched into the events that followed the operations against ISIS. Five suspects were detained as part of the investigation.
SPACE OPENED UP TO JIHADISTS
The indictment prepared as part of the investigation launched by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office contained striking details. The indictment included a letter dated 25 October 2023 from the Directorate General for Combating Terrorism (TEM), which reflected the activities of the jihadist structure in Turkey.
The October 2023 letter included in the indictment stated that individuals belonging to radical and Salafi ideologies in Turkey had opened bookshops, nurseries, mosques and madrasas with the aim of ‘building a base’. The letter stated that the terrorist organisation's target audience for recruiting members and building a base was mainly young people, using the following statements:
"Terrorist organisations that exploit religion interpret issues such as “Daru'l Harb, Taghut, Regime, Vote, Friday Prayer, Caliphate, Jihad, Tawhid, Shirk, and not sending children to state schools” according to their own philosophy and ideology. Furthermore, individuals affiliated with the ISIS terrorist organisation and similar religiously exploitative terrorist organisations establish legal or illegal associations, bookshops, nurseries, mosques, and madrasas in our country to build a base, recruit members, and provide financial support to their members in conflict zones."
ISIS OPERATIONS
The article also shared the number of associations, bookshops, mosques and madrasas operating in Turkey that are described as ‘pro-ISIS terrorist organisation’. In Turkey, 24 of them are in Yalova, and the rest are in Adana, Ağrı, Ankara, Batman, Bingöl, Bursa, Çankırı, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Muş, Sakarya, Samsun, Tekirdağ, Yalova and Van, a total of 97 ‘ISIS-affiliated’ associations, bookshops, mosques and madrasas were identified.
It was emphasised that efforts to dismantle these groups, identified as pro-ISIS and operating with the aim of ‘providing membership and funding to ISIS,’ would significantly contribute to ‘thwarting the organisation's grassroots recruitment activities’ and combating the terrorist group. The indictment also included sanctions against businesses close to ISIS, as mentioned in the October 2023 article.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled 24 kent 97 dernek ve medrese: IŞİD’in Türkiye ağı, published in BirGün newspaper on January 11, 2026.
