to transfer their suicide bombers from Syria to Europe, Turkish daily
Milliyet reported on July 11, citing intelligence officials.
According
to the daily, Turkish intelligence officials, who cooperated with
foreign intelligence services, determined that ISIL recently tasked its
militants from Azerbaijan and the Northern Caucasus to carry out attacks in Turkey and Azerbaijan. ISIL planned attacks in Turkey and Europe after suffering defeats in the hands of U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria, the report also said.
The
jihadist group planned to continue targeting Turkey, due to the latter
apprehending the former’s members and carrying out operations against
it, according to the intelligence officials.
In addition, it was
determined that ISIL formed a group of 20 to 25 militants in Syria and
tried to send them to Turkey a short while ago after the IDs of a number
of its militants were exposed in operations carried out in the country.
The General Directorate of Security sent a warning notice to provincial
security directorates in April regarding these developments, according
to reports.
The General Directorate of Security reportedly sent another warning concerning ISIL attackers from Azerbaijan
and the Caucasus in June, saying the militants were planning suicide
attacks in Turkey and Azerbaijan. The aforementioned militants planned
to attack police officers and their families in Azerbaijan, the report
said.
Meanwhile, another warning which was sent to provincial security directorates after ISIL’s attack on Istanbul’s Atatürk
Airport on June 28, which left 45 people dead and scores wounded,
reportedly informed the police on the jihadist group’s new targets in
Turkey. The warning, which was sent on June 30, stressed that ISIL
militants in Ankara and Istanbul were planning attacks on military and police buildings with bomb-laden cars.
ISIL
wanted to assassinate Kurdish public officials, journalists and
military and intelligence officials working in Ankara, Istanbul and the
western province of İzmir, the warning also said.
Turkey has
been on high alert, as the country has been rocked by a series of
suicide and car bomb attacks which claimed many lives and wounded
hundreds.