KARACHI: An operative of the militant Islamic State group (IS) was captured at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a joint intelligence operation conducted by Pakistan and Turkiye, Turkish security sources said on Sunday.

Ozgur Altun, also known by the codename “Abu Yasir Al Turki”, was arrested in a precision operation jointly conducted by Pakistani and Turkish intelligence agencies, Dawn.com reported.

Following intelligence sharing, Pakistani intelligence had been briefed on Altun’s presence in Afghanistan and his intent to cross into Pakistan. After his arrest, he was deported to Turkiye for further investigation.

Altun was identified as the highest-ranking Turkish member of IS and played a key role in the group’s media and logistics networks.

Turkiye’s national intelligence agency, MIT, had tracked Altun’s activities and found he was allegedly coordinating the movement of IS fighters from Europe and Central Asia to the Pakistan-Afghanistan region. He was also accused of directing attacks at concert venues and other civilian sites in Turkiye and across Europe.

The development follows a similar arrest made in March when an operative of the IS-Khorasan, Mohammad Sharifullah, was detained by Pakistani authorities and brought to the US, with President Donald Trump hailing Islamabad’s help.

Pakistan and Turkiye, which share strong bilateral relations, reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing defence and security cooperation during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Istanbul.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2025