JITEM

Jandarma İstihbarat Teşkilatı (JİT) Jandarma İstihbarat ve Terörle Mücadele (JİTEM)
Active	Late 1980s – present (unofficially, as JİTEM) 2005 – present (officially, as JİT)
Country	Turkey
Branch	Turkish Gendarmerie
Type	Intelligence unit

Jandarma İstihbarat ve Terörle Mücadele or Jandarma İstihbarat Teşkilatı (abbr. JİTEM or JİT; English: "Gendarmerie Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism" or "Gendarmerie Intelligence Organization") is the controversial wing and intelligence agency of the Turkish Gendarmerie. JİTEM was active in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict. After the Susurluk scandal, former prime ministers Bülent Ecevit and Mesut Yılmaz have confirmed the existence of JİTEM.

According to Murat Belge of Istanbul Bilgi University, who has reported that he was tortured in 1971 by its founder, Veli Küçük, JİTEM is an embodiment of the deep state. In other words, it is used by "the Establishment" to enforce alleged national interests. It is also said to be the military wing of Ergenekon, an underground Turkish nationalist organization. In 2008, long-maintained official denials of JİTEM's existence started collapsing in the courts, as ex-members of Turkey's "deep state" security apparatus testify to their participation in covert and illegal activities over the last few decades as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation.

The unit was officially founded in 2005, but its unofficial history goes back to the 1980s. Its roots lie further back with the Counter-Guerrilla: JİTEM used Counter-Guerrilla methods and possibly equipment, and key figures had been involved with the Counter-Guerrilla. For example, Murat Belge of Istanbul Bilgi University says he was tortured in 1971 by a key JİTEM figure, Veli Küçük.

JİTEM was active in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict.

...
Wikipedia