On July 15, a report submitted to the UN Security Council by the council's committee working on the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda documented the resilience of jihadi militant networks. The 22-page report looks at the activities of these networks in five different regions during the first six months of 2021. Turkey is only mentioned in the Iraq and Levant section, but its unique relations with foreign fighters raise concerns for domestic and international security.

Foreign fighters not only help keep the idea of a universal holy war alive, but they are one of the reasons why militant jihadi movements have survived despite global efforts. Militant jihad is based on a network of career fighters who move from one war zone to another. Since the beginning of Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey’s proximity to the battle zones and desire to topple the Syrian regime meant that in the early years of the conflict Ankara turned a blind eye to foreigners traveling to Syria, and over time enabled logistics support to multiple networks. 

When asked about the July 15 Security Council report, a senior Turkish government official working for the security establishment told Al-Monitor, “It does not mean much. We did what we were required to do in alliance with Western countries. Thousands of foreign fighters originated from Europe, why did they allow them to travel to Syria? Now they do not want them back and try to assign the responsibility on us.”

By the end of July, the US Treasury Department made designations against a Turkey-based al-Qaeda financial facilitator and a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham recruiter and terrorist fundraiser, and issued sanctions accordingly. The US has been repeatedly tracking jihadi networks, mostly linked to IS, and issuing sanctions. In a report in early January, the department red-flagged Turkey for having “logistical hubs” that facilitate the transfer of money in and out of Syria. Several Turkish and foreign-born individuals residing in Turkey have been identified and sanctioned by the Treasury.