A disturbing connection between Turkish subcontractors and the Islamic State’s resurgence in Georgia in the South Caucasus has been brought to light in an investigative report by Hale Gönültaş from the news outlet ArtıGerçek.
The report is part of a series by Gönültaş, and uncovers a secret pipeline transporting people from Turkey to the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, where they receive armed training under the banner of Mekteb-i Furkan (School of Affirmation), a facade for the reorganising ISIS.
The recruits, disguised as workers, are seemingly employed by subcontractors engaged with major construction companies in Turkey. This guise facilitates their journey from the Turkish capital Ankara to the Pankisi Gorge, known for its long-standing affiliation with jihadist groups. The region, primarily inhabited by Chechen refugees, has become a focal point for ISIS’s military training and recruitment drive.
Moreover, the Turkish publication Ahlak ve Sünnet (Ethics and Religious Practices), a magazine identified as spearheading ISIS’s reorganisation within Turkey, has branched out into Georgia, opening an office near the Pankisi Gorge. However, the Georgian Interior Ministry denied that any official permission had been granted when asked about operational legitimacy of the publication.
Eyüp Gözlemecioğlu, a notable figure associated with Ahlak ve Sünnet, has been apprehended three times since 2011 for recruiting and transporting individuals to conflict zones on behalf of ISIS. Gönültaş says that the case of Gözlemecioğlu, currently under house arrest, exemplifies the operational latitude afforded by the Turkish government to ISIS sympathisers within Turkey’s borders.
The article also reveals ISIS’s broader recruitment strategy, extending beyond Turkey to encompass several countries including Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya, Mali, Uganda and Sudan. Gönültaş reports that along with this recruitment spree, and despite its territorial losses in Syria, ISIS has managed to create pockets of resistance, capitalising on the geography of the desert regions in order to regroup and mount new attacks.
