The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) engaged in a wide range of activities in 2022, including the continued fight against terrorist groups and spy networks while operating in conflict zones, according to its report.
Saying that the current international system is undergoing a radical and dynamic transition, MIT head Hakan Fidan underlined in the report: “This situation, which makes the scope of national security more flexible and complex, adds a hybrid and asymmetrical dimension to the threats against our country.”
Within this scope, MIT has upgraded its technological capabilities, focusing on proactive intelligence.
“The organization, which operates the intelligence wheel in the form of intelligence collection, analysis and submission to the relevant authorities, has reached a capability to compete with the major intelligence services,” the report highlighted.
“In the fight against the PKK, MIT has focused on eliminating the main backbone that manages the terrorist organization by using intelligence disciplines such as human intelligence, signal intelligence, electronic intelligence, image and satellite intelligence, and armed UAV capabilities,” Fidan said, adding that MIT has thereby engaged in several cross-border operations and eliminated high-ranking terrorist members.
“Furthermore, with the operational capabilities gained, many organizational elements, including the perpetrators of terrorist acts in our country, were captured abroad and brought to our country.”
The PKK – designated as a terrorist organization in the United States, the European Union and Türkiye – has been waging a bloody terrorist campaign against the country for four decades, attacking both security personnel and civilians. It has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people since 1984, with its massacres peaking especially in the 1990s.
Regarding the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), MIT concentrated on deciphering the secret communication strategies and structure of the group while uncovering the group’s activities abroad as well as propaganda against Türkiye. Within this scope, more than 100 FETÖ members were brought to Türkiye.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.
Fidan pointed out that leader cadres were eliminated by focusing on efforts to prevent the threat posed by extreme left terrorist organizations, especially in Syria.
With its work in the field of counter-intelligence, MIT has deciphered many attempts that targeted the country beyond traditional espionage activities, uncovered the work of many countries toward other countries through Türkiye and collapsed their agent networks.
MIT also thwarted attempts by Iran last year to target Israeli citizens in Türkiye.
With intelligence diplomacy works, MIT ensured that sensitive issues related to Türkiye’s foreign policy were part of official interstate talks.
Saying that MIT has undertaken active duties in conflict zones, the report said: “MIT has duly fulfilled its duties in 2022 in terms of guiding the negotiations, establishing the balance between the parties and coordinating the crisis management processes, as well as operational studies in areas such as Syria, Ukraine and Libya.
