Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the operation on social media, vowing continued efforts to thwart terrorist threats. “We never gave a chance to those who tried to bring this country to its knees through terrorism, and we never will,” Yerlikaya wrote.
In Istanbul, police conducted searches at 114 locations and detained 110 individuals, including 16 foreign nationals, the prosecutor’s office said.
Some of those arrested were reportedly connected to militants who engaged in a deadly gun battle with police on Monday in the city of Yalova, about 100 kilometers south of Istanbul. The eight-hour standoff, which occurred during a raid on a suspected militant hideout, left three officers and six fighters dead.
Last week, Turkish police detained 115 suspected Islamic State members accused of planning attacks during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, with the group specifically urging assaults on non-Muslims, according to authorities.
Turkey has stepped up its crackdown on Islamic State in 2025 amid concerns about the group’s resurgence. The militant group has been blamed for a number of deadly attacks in Turkey, including a 2017 nightclub shooting in Istanbul that killed 39 people.
(jh)
Source: Polskie Radio