Turkish authorities carried out widespread operations targeting individuals suspected of belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Wednesday, resulting in the detention of 125 people in simultaneous raids spanning 25 provinces. Over the past week, law enforcement has apprehended numerous ISIS suspects nationwide to prevent potential attacks during the holiday season.
During one such operation in Yalova province, a suspected ISIS group engaged in a shootout with the police on Monday. The clash resulted in the deaths of six ISIS suspects and three police officers, with eight officers and a night guard sustaining injuries when security forces raided a house being used as a hideout. Turkish authorities confirmed that all militants involved were Turkish nationals.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya disclosed that the coordinated raids on Wednesday were conducted by police and gendarmerie forces in various cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, and Yalova. In a social media statement, Yerlikaya emphasized that those attempting to disrupt unity and exploit faith to attack national values would be met with the full power of the state and the solidarity of the nation.
ISIS has carried out multiple deadly attacks in Turkey, notably the shooting at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day in 2017, resulting in the deaths of 39 individuals. Recent global incidents, such as an ISIS-inspired attack in Australia and assaults on U.S. forces in Syria, have prompted Turkey’s latest large-scale operations against suspected ISIS members.
According to the U.S. military, around 25 ISIS operatives were killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that claimed the lives of two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter. U.S. Central Command reported conducting 11 missions in the past 10 days, targeting ISIS weapons facilities and infrastructure in central Syria after initial strikes on Dec. 19 hit 70 sites.
Syrian security forces have also intensified efforts against ISIS, with recent operations near Damascus resulting in the capture of Taha al-Zoubi, identified as the ISIS leader in the area, and the death of Mohammed Shahadeh, a senior ISIS commander in Syria.