Special to WorldTribune.com
ANKARA — A leading Al Qaida militia has established an operational presence in Turkey.

Officials said Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and Levant has maintained a presence in several Turkish cities. They said ISIL appeared to be most concentrated in the Syrian refugee camps in southeastern Turkey as well as in Istanbul.

Both Israel and the United States have determined that Turkey was tolerating an Al Qaida presence.

On March 25, Turkish special operations forces raided an ISIL stronghold in Istanbul. The SOF units encountered heavy gunfire by Al Qaida fighters and at least four people were injured.
“A male and a female suspect were injured before being captured and transferred to Haydarpaga hospital,” Turkey’s Dogan News Agency said.

In early 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department asserted that Al Qaida was using Turkey as a waystation to send fighters and  funds from Iran to Syria.
“Their presence dates back to nearly a year, but now they have raised their profile beyond the point that we can accept,” an official said.
Officials said ISIL has been held responsible for several attacks and plots in Turkey. On March 20, ISIL was said to have attacked a Turkish paramilitary unit in Nigde in which three officers were killed. They said three ISIL fighters were captured.

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