Turkish authorities on Wednesday intensified their nationwide crackdown on suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives, detaining 125 people in coordinated raids carried out across 25 provinces, officials said.
The latest arrests come amid heightened security operations launched over the past week to prevent possible attacks during the Christmas and New Year period. Police have taken hundreds of suspected IS members into custody in raids conducted simultaneously across the country.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the latest operation was jointly coordinated by police and gendarmerie units and covered major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and Yalova.
In a social media post, Yerlikaya said, “Those who target our brotherhood, our unity, and our togetherness; those who try to exploit our faith and attack our values will face nothing but the power of our state and the unity of our nation.”
The ongoing sweep follows a deadly confrontation earlier this week in the north-western province of Yalova, where members of a suspected IS cell opened fire on security forces during a raid. Six IS suspects and three police officers were killed in the clash, while eight other officers and a night guard were wounded when forces stormed a house used as a militant hideout.
Authorities said all the militants involved in the Yalova incident were Turkish citizens.
Turkiye has been the target of several deadly IS attacks in recent years, including the January 1, 2017 shooting at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year celebrations that left 39 people dead.
Officials said the current operation also comes against the backdrop of renewed concerns over a possible resurgence of IS activity globally. Recent developments include an IS-inspired attack in Australia and strikes targeting US forces in neighbouring Syria.
The US military said on Tuesday that nearly 25 IS operatives were killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that claimed the lives of two US troops and an American civilian interpreter.
US Central Command said 11 missions were conducted over the past 10 days, following strikes on IS weapons sites and infrastructure on December 19 that hit 70 targets across central Syria.
Syrian security forces have also carried out operations against IS in recent days, including raids near Damascus in which Taha al-Zoubi, identified as the group’s leader in the Damascus area, was captured, while senior commander Mohammed Shahadeh was killed.
