Journalist Fehim Taştekin has pointed out that Turkey’s political landscape, shaped by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has made the country the most accessible in the region for militants to freely enter, hide and operate. The journalist warns of the alarming laxity of the AKP government in addressing this reality, suggesting that sporadic arrests only scratch the surface of a much deeper issue.

In his analysis for the Gazete Duvar on Thursday, Taştekin argues that this transformation has facilitated the flow of militants and money from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe to Syria, making Turkey a major hub for both the recruitment and shelter of militants and their associated financial transactions.

The situation has been exacerbated by the aftermath of the Moskow attack, following which Turkey apprehended a dozen suspects, highlighting the country’s critical role in the ISIS-K network.

In the subsequent paragraphs, Taştekin elaborates on the details of Turkey’s involvement. He notes the US Treasury Department’s 2021 move to flag ISIS-K’s operations within Turkey, which utilised exchange offices and jewellers for the group’s financial transactions, managed by Ismetullah Khalozai. These activities, according to Taştekin, underscore Turkey’s pivotal role in ISIS-K’s financial network.

Additionally, the capture of ISIS-K’s financial and recruitment officer, Shamil Hukumatov, in Turkey, following a collaboration between Turkey, Tajikistan and financial crime teams from Binance, further exposed the depth of ISIS-K’s operations within Turkish borders.

Taştekin’s analysis does not stop at Turkey’s role in the militant network; he also touches on the global and regional implications of such a hub existing within NATO’s borders. He explores the nuanced dynamics of ISIS-K’s strategy, which not only fills the vacuum left by ISIS’s decline but also exploits the gaps in control among radical groups post-Taliban ascendancy in Afghanistan.