Intel tells court ISIL has two Turkish commanders

Fevzi KIZILKOYUN ANKARA

ISIL militants wave flags as they take part in a military paradein Syria’s northern Raqqa to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic ‘caliphate.’ AFP Photo

Turkish intelligence officials have detected two Turkish nationals commanding militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).The chief public prosecutor’s office in Ankara last month launched an investigation into kidnapping of Turkish citizens by ISIL. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the militant group, was shown as the prime suspect in the probe, which also found that two Turkish nationals, identified as İsmet A. from Ankara and Murat G. from Konya, have been serving as high-ranking commanders in training camps.The prosecutor ordered the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the security general directorate, and the Foreign Ministry to investigate ISIL’s links in Turkey, as well as its leadership cadre. Officials will also hear testimony from the 32 truck drivers who were captured by ISIL and were released earlier this month.Sadık Bayındır, the public prosecutor in charge of constitutional crimes, has begun an investigation into the kidnapping of Turkey’s Mosul consul general, Öztürk Yilmaz, diplomatic staff at the consulate and their families, members of Special Forces police team, and Turkish drivers by ISIL militants. The probe has been opened on charges of “forming and running a terrorist organization and restricting of individuals’ freedom with a terrorist attack.”