Living in Bingöl, Fatih Dağ (46) has been searching for his son Ahmet Arif for the last 3 years. Ahmet Arif Dağ who told that he was going on a picnic and left home in 2018, joined ISIS with 4 of his friends. Father Dağ who has been searching for his son, finally obtained the information that he entered Turkey recently. Dağ is worried that his son may carry out a suicide attack.

 

Father Dağ talked about how his son was brainwashed by ISIS members and how he looked for him for years.

 

THE WAY HE DRESSED CHANGED ALL OF A SUDDEN

 

Stating that he sent his son to work with a relative in 2013, Dağ told that the way his son dressed has changed all of a sudden after that, as well as his thoughts about the world. Explaining that whenever they tried to talk to him about that his son told that they were infidels, Dağ said that his son started to go to an association called Islah-Der after that.

 

Underlining that this association was known for brainwashing teenagers and send them to ISIS and many families filed criminal complaints about this association but nothing was done about it, Dağ said his son was arrested in 2017 after starting to go to this association and was held in Bingö Prison for two months.

 

FAMILY ASKED THE PROSECUTOR TO KEEP THEIR SON IN PRISON

 

Stating that they asked the prosecutor to keep their son in prison with his wife, Dağ said: "He told me he finally saw what kind of people he has been hanging around with and he will not see them anymore, but he dissappeared a few days later."

 

HE STARTED LOOKING FOR HIS SON

 

Trying to reach his son from his cell phone and Cihat Yılmaz, whom he dissappeared with, Dağ said he couldn't reach them. Visiting another friend of his son, Abdulaziz, father Dağ said that person told him to wait for a few days and it will be reveled if he had crossed the border. Father Dağ told that he went to the police after recieving this response and told about his son to the Counter terrorism unit. Dağ said: "I told them his phone was still open but they didn't try to find him. I applied to the prosecutor's office, but they didn't do anything either. So I started searching for him with my own means."

 

Stating that he met with other families whose children joined ISIS during his search for his son, Dağ told that he learned that his son was in an ISIS cell. Dağ said: "I didn't know what a cell was back then. Later I learned that people in these cells are used for suicide bombings. Even those in ISIS don't know who these people in cells are."

 

FIRST CONTACT

 

Stating that he was able to contact his son on April 23, 2018 via Facebook, Dağ said: "I was expecting him to tell me he was sorry and he regretted his decision to join ISIS, but he tried to recruit me! After this dissappointment, I didn't contact him for 6 months. Later in December, he contacted me via Facebook. He told me he was married and he was going to have a child. I thought he wouldn't be a suicide bomber if he married. Then we lost contact."

 

HE CAME TO TURKEY AND LEFT AGAIN

 

Father Dağ told that people who introduced themselves as 'intelligence officers' contacted them a year and a half ago. Dağ told that these people contacted him because they also lost track of his son. Dağ said: "They told me he was last seen in Idlib, but could not confirm he was married and told him he might have lied about it. Later I learned that he entered Turkey in April 2020 and left again. 

 

'I AM CONCERNED HE MIGHT BE A SUICIDE BOMBER'

 

Stating that he is still searching for his son, father Dağ said he learned that his son came back to Turkey recently and he is afraid that he might be a suicide bomber. Dağ said: "My son is in a barbaric organization. I'm scared that he might blow himself up somewhere killing innocent people. This has become a nightmare for me. This is why I am trying to be heard. Life is a gift. No one has the right to take it away from anyone. I explained this to my son time and time again. I know I lost my son but I don't want people to lose their loved ones because of my son. I am trying to prevent that. We are desperate like many families whose children joined ISIS like mine."

 

MA / Ömer Çelik