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Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH

Year 2016, Volume: 21 Issue: 1, 27 - 44, 01.04.2016

Haldun Yalçınkaya

Abstract

DAESH is a terrorist organisation with a Salafist jihadist ideology that threatens the civilized world. Moreover, like a contagious agent of a cancer cell to the rest of the body, the foreign terrorist fighters of DAESH are a growing threat against their states of origin, the states they transit, and the states where they are active, as well as their neighbouring zones. Turkey falls under all these categories. Between 2014 and 2016, 159 individuals in Turkey lost their lives because of terror attacks executed by the foreign terrorist fighters. Data from these attacks are analysed in the article. While increased international cooperation on the use of no-entry lists, has produced some positive improvements in the efforts against foreign terrorist fighters, such collaboration should extend to other measures as well. In conclusion, the article argues that while Turkey experienced the initial wave of terrorist attacks by returnees, foreign terrorist fighters might cause a metastasis to the rest of the world. Moreover, the contagious effect of foreign fighters for violence is not limited to DAESH and needs to be examined within other terrorist organizations

Keywords

DAESH foreign terrorist fighters Syria Turkey terrorism

References

  • “The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178”, paragraph 8, at http://www. un.org/en/sc/ctc/doc s/2015/SCR%202178_2014_EN.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn and Edwin Bakker, Returning Western Foreign Fighters: The Case of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism Background Note, The Hague, June 2014, p. 10.
  • The broadest research on it was conducted as the Harmony Project, Brian Fishman, et.al., Bombers, Bank Accounts, & Bleedout; Al-Qa’da’s Road in and out of Iraq, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, New York, 2008.
  • Marc Sageman, Understanding Terror Networks, University of Pennsylvania Press, Phila- delphia, 2004.
  • Thomas Hegghammer, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Explaining Variation in Western Jihadists’ Choice between Domestic and Foreign Fighting”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 107, No. 1 (February 2013), p.10 and 13. 6 Ibid.
  • For all UN CTC reports on FTFs see, http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/resources/ (last vis- ited 12 September 2016).
  • For the full text of the report see, http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/docs/2015/N1514129_ EN.pdf (last visited 12 September 2016).
  • “Implementation of Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) by States Affected by Foreign Terrorist Fighters”, The United Nations Security Council Report S/2015/338, at http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/docs/2015/N1514129_EN.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • A report revealed by the White House on 4 February 2016 claimed that DAESH had as many as 25,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, at http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mid- east-crisis-fighters-idUSKCN0VD2ZO (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Haldun Yalçınkaya, “Analysing the ISIS Attacks in Turkey and Turkey’s Struggle”, Foreign Policy Analysis, 22 March 2016, at http://orsam.org.tr/index.php/Content/ Analiz/4577?c=orsam|english (last visited 4 September 2016).
  • Clinton Watts, “Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan: what Foreign Fighter Data reveals about the Future of Terrorism”, Small Wars Journal, 17 April 2008, pp. 2-4.
  • “World Needs New Ways to end Human Suffering: Turkish FM”, Anadolu Agency, at http://aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/world-needs-new-ways-to-end-human-suffer- ing-turkish-fm-/576189 (last visited 23 September 2016).
  • For the full text translation of his statement in English: https://pietervanostaeyen.word- press.com/2014/09/25/abu-muhammad-al-adnani-ash-shami-indeed-your-lord-is- ever-watchful/ (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Thomas Hegghammer and Petter Nesser, “Assessing the Islamic State’s Commitment to Attacking the West”, Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 9, No. 4 (2015), at http://www. terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/440/html (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Hegghammer, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, pp.10-12.
  • The United Nations Security Council Report S/2015/338.
  • The State of Affairs in Foreign Terrorist Fighters Research Workshop, held by ORSAM on 23 January 2015, Ankara.
  • According to the foreign fighters statistics regularly announced by the Republic of Tur- key, the Directorate General of Migration Management as of 31 March 2016, at http:// www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/foreign-fighters_915_1024_4750_icerik (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • “Measures against Foreign Terrorist Fighters”, Presentation of Ministry of Foreign Af- fairs, Republic of Turkey, the State of Affairs in Foreign Terrorist Fighters Research Workshop held by ORSAM on 23 January 2015 in Ankara.
  • According to the foreign fighters statistics regularly announced by the Republic of Tur- key, the Directorate General of Migration Management as of 31 March 2016, at http:// www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/foreign-fighters_915_1024_4750_icerik (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • “Türkiye’nin Yabancı Savaşçılarla Mücadelesi”, a public announcement by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2016, at http://www.mfa.gov.tr/tur- kiye_nin-yabanci-terorist-savascilarla-mucadelesi.tr.mfa (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Suriye Sınırında Tedbirler Artırıldı”, Anadolu Agency, at http://www.aa.com.tr/tr/tur- kiye/suriye-sinirinda-tedbirler-arttirildi/23734 (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Murat Yeşiltaş, “İç Savaşa Komşu Olmak: Türkiye’nin Suriye Sınır Güvenliği Siyaseti”, SETA Analiz, No. 136 (August 2015), at http://file.setav.org/Files/Pdf/20150827110513_ sinir-guvenligi.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • Adam Rawnsley, “Meet the Americans Flocking to Iraq and Syria to Fight the Islamic State”, Foreign Policy, 26 August 2015, at https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/26/meet- the-americans-flocking-to-iraq-and-syria-to-fight-the-islamic-state/ (last visited 20 September 2016).

Year 2016, Volume: 21 Issue: 1, 27 - 44, 01.04.2016

Haldun Yalçınkaya

Abstract

References

  • “The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178”, paragraph 8, at http://www. un.org/en/sc/ctc/doc s/2015/SCR%202178_2014_EN.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn and Edwin Bakker, Returning Western Foreign Fighters: The Case of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism Background Note, The Hague, June 2014, p. 10.
  • The broadest research on it was conducted as the Harmony Project, Brian Fishman, et.al., Bombers, Bank Accounts, & Bleedout; Al-Qa’da’s Road in and out of Iraq, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, New York, 2008.
  • Marc Sageman, Understanding Terror Networks, University of Pennsylvania Press, Phila- delphia, 2004.
  • Thomas Hegghammer, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Explaining Variation in Western Jihadists’ Choice between Domestic and Foreign Fighting”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 107, No. 1 (February 2013), p.10 and 13. 6 Ibid.
  • For all UN CTC reports on FTFs see, http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/resources/ (last vis- ited 12 September 2016).
  • For the full text of the report see, http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/docs/2015/N1514129_ EN.pdf (last visited 12 September 2016).
  • “Implementation of Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) by States Affected by Foreign Terrorist Fighters”, The United Nations Security Council Report S/2015/338, at http://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/docs/2015/N1514129_EN.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • A report revealed by the White House on 4 February 2016 claimed that DAESH had as many as 25,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, at http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mid- east-crisis-fighters-idUSKCN0VD2ZO (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Haldun Yalçınkaya, “Analysing the ISIS Attacks in Turkey and Turkey’s Struggle”, Foreign Policy Analysis, 22 March 2016, at http://orsam.org.tr/index.php/Content/ Analiz/4577?c=orsam|english (last visited 4 September 2016).
  • Clinton Watts, “Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan: what Foreign Fighter Data reveals about the Future of Terrorism”, Small Wars Journal, 17 April 2008, pp. 2-4.
  • “World Needs New Ways to end Human Suffering: Turkish FM”, Anadolu Agency, at http://aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/world-needs-new-ways-to-end-human-suffer- ing-turkish-fm-/576189 (last visited 23 September 2016).
  • For the full text translation of his statement in English: https://pietervanostaeyen.word- press.com/2014/09/25/abu-muhammad-al-adnani-ash-shami-indeed-your-lord-is- ever-watchful/ (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Thomas Hegghammer and Petter Nesser, “Assessing the Islamic State’s Commitment to Attacking the West”, Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 9, No. 4 (2015), at http://www. terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/440/html (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Hegghammer, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, pp.10-12.
  • The United Nations Security Council Report S/2015/338.
  • The State of Affairs in Foreign Terrorist Fighters Research Workshop, held by ORSAM on 23 January 2015, Ankara.
  • According to the foreign fighters statistics regularly announced by the Republic of Tur- key, the Directorate General of Migration Management as of 31 March 2016, at http:// www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/foreign-fighters_915_1024_4750_icerik (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • “Measures against Foreign Terrorist Fighters”, Presentation of Ministry of Foreign Af- fairs, Republic of Turkey, the State of Affairs in Foreign Terrorist Fighters Research Workshop held by ORSAM on 23 January 2015 in Ankara.
  • According to the foreign fighters statistics regularly announced by the Republic of Tur- key, the Directorate General of Migration Management as of 31 March 2016, at http:// www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/foreign-fighters_915_1024_4750_icerik (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • “Türkiye’nin Yabancı Savaşçılarla Mücadelesi”, a public announcement by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2016, at http://www.mfa.gov.tr/tur- kiye_nin-yabanci-terorist-savascilarla-mucadelesi.tr.mfa (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Suriye Sınırında Tedbirler Artırıldı”, Anadolu Agency, at http://www.aa.com.tr/tr/tur- kiye/suriye-sinirinda-tedbirler-arttirildi/23734 (last visited 20 April 2016).
  • Murat Yeşiltaş, “İç Savaşa Komşu Olmak: Türkiye’nin Suriye Sınır Güvenliği Siyaseti”, SETA Analiz, No. 136 (August 2015), at http://file.setav.org/Files/Pdf/20150827110513_ sinir-guvenligi.pdf (last visited 20 September 2016).
  • Adam Rawnsley, “Meet the Americans Flocking to Iraq and Syria to Fight the Islamic State”, Foreign Policy, 26 August 2015, at https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/26/meet- the-americans-flocking-to-iraq-and-syria-to-fight-the-islamic-state/ (last visited 20 September 2016).
There are 24 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Haldun Yalçınkaya

Publication Date April 1, 2016
Published in Issue Year 2016 Volume: 21 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Yalçınkaya, H. (2016). Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH. PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs, 21(1), 27-44.
AMA Yalçınkaya H. Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH. PERCEPTIONS. April 2016;21(1):27-44.
Chicago Yalçınkaya, Haldun. “Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH”. PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 21, no. 1 (April 2016): 27-44.
EndNote Yalçınkaya H (April 1, 2016) Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH. PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 21 1 27–44.
IEEE H. Yalçınkaya, “Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH”, PERCEPTIONS, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 27–44, 2016.
ISNAD Yalçınkaya, Haldun. “Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH”. PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 21/1 (April 2016), 27-44.
JAMA Yalçınkaya H. Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH. PERCEPTIONS. 2016;21:27–44.
MLA Yalçınkaya, Haldun. “Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH”. PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs, vol. 21, no. 1, 2016, pp. 27-44.
Vancouver Yalçınkaya H. Turkey’s Struggle Against the Foreign Terrorist Fighters of DAESH. PERCEPTIONS. 2016;21(1):27-44.