Turkish authorities carried out countrywide operations targeting suspected members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Wednesday, leading to the detention of 125 individuals in simultaneous raids conducted across 25 provinces. Over the past week, the police have apprehended numerous ISIS suspects in nationwide raids aimed at thwarting potential attacks during the Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
During one such raid in the northwestern province of Yalova on Monday, members of a suspected ISIS cell engaged in a shootout with the police. This confrontation resulted in the deaths of six ISIS suspects and three police officers, while eight other officers and a night guard sustained injuries when security forces raided a house being used as a hideout. Authorities confirmed that all the militants involved were Turkish citizens.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya disclosed that the operations on Wednesday were coordinated by both police and gendarmerie forces and were conducted in various cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, and Yalova. Yerlikaya emphasized in a social media post that those attempting to disrupt unity and exploit faith to attack values would be met with the full force of the state and national unity.
ISIS has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks in Turkey, notably the shooting at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s Day celebrations on January 1, 2017, which claimed the lives of 39 individuals.
Recent global activities of ISIS, such as an attack in Australia and strikes on U.S. forces in Syria, have prompted Turkey to escalate its efforts against suspected ISIS members. The U.S. military announced that nearly 25 ISIS operatives were either killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.
Furthermore, Syrian security forces have also intensified operations against ISIS, including capturing the ISIS leader in the Damascus area and eliminating a senior ISIS commander in recent raids on the outskirts of Damascus.