Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, a Turkish al-Qaeda operative enlisted by Turkey’s intelligence agency (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı, MIT) for clandestine operations in Syria, was eliminated in a precision US strike on February 23 executed by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Talay, known by his nom de guerre Jafar al-Turki within the ranks of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (HaD), was among numerous senior al-Qaeda figures deployed by MIT to orchestrate covert missions aimed at toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime. His demise marks a substantial setback to the extensive network of proxy groups cultivated by MIT and overseen — either directly or indirectly — by the Islamist administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
His death follows the February 21 US strike that neutralized Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, a senior facilitator for Hurras al-Din in northwest Syria.
CENTCOM released footage of the precision drone strike, describing it as part of sustained efforts “to disrupt and degrade attempts by terrorists to plan, organize, and execute attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.”
“As we have stated before, we will persistently pursue these terrorists to safeguard our homeland and protect US, allied, and partner personnel in the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.
Despite being a 39-year-old Ankara resident listed on Turkey’s terrorism watchlist, Talay had long operated under MIT’s protection. He was designated on the Turkish Interior Ministry’s so-called “yellow list,” which offers cash rewards for intelligence leading to the apprehension of wanted individuals. However, even while the subject of active arrest warrants, Talay and other al-Qaeda operatives maintained a close working relationship with MIT.
Talay’s handler in Syria was Musa Olğaç, a Turkish Salafist cleric also known as Musa Abu Jafar or Ebu Sumeyye. Olğaç had previously been active in various countries, including Pakistan and Egypt, before relocating to Syria. In Egypt he was instrumental in establishing an al-Qaeda recruitment cell, facilitating the movement of Turkish militants under the guise of Arabic and Islamic studies. His safe house in Cairo was raided by Egyptian authorities in 2007, resulting in his arrest and subsequent extradition to Turkey after a three-and-a-half-month incarceration.
With the onset of the Syrian civil war, Olğaç was mobilized by MIT to coordinate the transfer of fighters into Syria. A criminal investigation initiated into him in 2011 for terrorism-related offenses was ultimately quashed by the Erdogan government in 2014. Law enforcement officials and prosecutors who had investigated the illicit movement of Turkish fighters into Syria under MIT’s supervision were subsequently dismissed from their positions.
Following the US airstrike that eliminated Talay, Olğaç took to X to eulogize his protégé: *“Today, Cafer Türki (may he rest in mercy) was martyred by a US drone in Idlib. He was a brave, heroic, courageous and hardworking brother. May Allah accept his martyrdom and bring ruin upon his killers.”*
Abu Jafar continues to operate from Idlib province, a region under Turkish military control and home to multiple Turkish-backed Syrian militias. He remains highly active online, disseminating propaganda via YouTube and Facebook to recruit young individuals to the jihadist cause. His network in Turkey remains operational, evading government crackdowns while managing mosques and study groups.
A key figure in Turkey’s militant operations in Syria is İbrahim Şen, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee repatriated to Turkey in 2005. Along with his brother Abdulkadir Şen, he was implicated in a 2014 terrorism probe connected to al-Qaeda. However, the investigation was obstructed by the Turkish government, allowing the brothers to persist in recruiting fighters and facilitating logistical support for jihadists in collaboration with MIT.
MIT’s Special Operations Directorate (Özel Operasyonlar Başkanlığı), under the command of former military officer Kemal Eskintan — known in jihadist circles as Abu Furqan — oversaw Turkey’s al-Qaeda operations. Eskintan played a critical role in facilitating covert Turkish support for jihadist factions, not only in Syria but across the broader Middle East and Africa.
The alliance between MIT and al-Qaeda-affiliated networks was sanctioned by Hakan Fidan, who served as MIT chief from 2010 until his appointment as Turkey’s foreign minister in 2023. The entire operation was personally approved by President Erdogan.
This collusion explains the persistent failure of Turkey’s law enforcement and judiciary to dismantle al-Qaeda jihadist cells. Under the Islamist policies of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), the government has nurtured a permissive environment for jihadist groups, enabling them to operate with impunity.
As the US intensifies its targeted operations against these militants, the intricate nexus between Turkey’s intelligence apparatus and extremist networks is increasingly coming to light.
