ISIS terrorists are living and operating in Turkey, some with Yazidis abducted from Syria or Iraq. For years, these Yazidi children and women have been enslaved, raped and sold. Most are survivors of the 2014 genocide by ISIS in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Even though it has been more than three years since ISIS was ousted from the last of the territory it seized in Syria and Iraq, these crimes are still taking place now.
ISIS (Islamic State), a Sunni jihadist terror group, declared the establishment of its caliphate in 2014. Since then, they have committed many crimes against non-Muslims – particularly Yazidis and Christians – in Iraq and Syria. Dr. Leah Farrall writes:
“ISIS systematically and violently targeted non-Sunni Syrians and Iraqis, expelling them from their homes, plundering their properties and businesses and claiming them as a war spoil (ghanima). Non-Muslim minorities were forced to pay a form of protection tax (jizya), or convert on threat of death. Thousands were taken hostage, ransomed, or executed, while others were enslaved.
“ISIS attracted unprecedented numbers of foreigners who came to join the organization or live in territory under its rule. Estimates place the total number at 40,000 people from 80 countries.”
The Ankara-based, veteran journalist Hale Gonultas has for years exposed the ISIS presence with Yazidi captives in Turkey. In a recent article, she wrote:
“Faced with the continued presence of IS cells within its borders, the Turkish state has been slow to respond to potential threats posed by the group, as well as inconsistencies in the judicial system’s handling of IS suspects and the plight of Yazidis still held captive by some IS members in Turkey…
“Following the 2014 Sinjar massacre in Iraq, Yazidi women and children continue to be held captive and sexually abused by IS members living in Turkey – and elsewhere – though their number remains unknown. IS members use the dark web to sell and purchase Yazidi women and children they kidnapped from Sinjar.”
Turkey is a long-established popular destination for ISIS members. Gonultas continues:
“A decade ago, people from around the world who sought to join a jihadist struggle and did so by joining IS, often used routes through Turkey and into Syria. Following the group’s geographical defeat in 2017, the same routes were used in reverse.
“Returning jihadists and IS sympathizers from Turkey were among the main supporters of Syrian and Iraqi militants. This support, along with other aid, facilitated the sheltering and housing of many Iraqi and Syrian militants in Turkey.
“Currently, IS members that have returned are residing in the Turkish provinces of Antakya, Batman, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Kırşehir, Konya, Yalova and Yozgat, with the largest groups in Ankara and İstanbul, according to data found in indictments and based on publicly available information regarding the location of where counterterrorism operations targeting IS are carried out.
“Ankara’s Çubuk, Sincan and Pursaklar districts, along with the neighborhood of Saray have become popular areas to reside among foreign IS members. These districts and neighborhoods also host outlawed schools that provide education in line with jihadist values.
“Furthermore, Kırşehir is the city of choice for the close relatives and staff members of slain former IS leader al-Baghdadi. Although security forces often carry out counterterrorism operations in Kırşehir, a sizable IS presence remains in the city.
“In İstanbul, IS members have also found shelter in conservative districts. According to Interior Ministry statements, almost all IS members detained during counterterrorism operations in İstanbul have been Iraqi or Syrian citizens.
“It is common knowledge that the wives and children of [jihadist] Free Syria Army (FSA) members live in İstanbul’s Başakşehir district and it is no secret that FSA fighters have settled in İstanbul, as well as other cities, and received Turkish citizenship. Many of the Syrian and Iraqi FSA fighters based in Turkey make their living by engaging in human smuggling…
“The most recent operation of note by Turkish authorities against IS was the capture and return of Kasım Güler from Syria on June 21, 2021. Güler had been appointed as the IS “governor” of Turkey. In his testimony, Güler said that after IS lost its territory in Syria, the group decided to reestablish itself in Turkey under the instructions of self-proclaimed Caliph and former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he was killed.”
Gonultas has widely reported on Yazidi children and women kidnapped, raped, and sold by ISIS terrorists in Turkey.
Read more: Gatestone Institute
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