Ten suspects including a high-ranking militant for the Daesh terrorist organization were captured in the central city of Kayseri and Gaziantep, which borders Syria, authorities announced Friday.
Most of the suspects were Syrians, media outlets reported, and one of them was the "so-called agriculture minister of Daesh," Kayseri Governor Süleyman Kamçı told reporters. Kamçı said the suspect, identified as Tarık A., was working in the agriculture sector in Turkey.
Turkish security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to thwart Daesh attacks. More than 300 people have lost their lives in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terrorist group has targeted civilians in suicide bombings and rocket-and-gun attacks. The country's efforts against Daesh made it a primary target for the terrorist group, which has carried out numerous gun and bomb attacks targeting security forces and civilians. This includes the country's deadliest terrorist attack that killed 102 people and wounded 400 others in a twin suicide bombing at a peace rally in Ankara on Oct. 10, 2015.
On Thursday, 42 foreign suspects plotting attacks were captured in operations in Istanbul.
Ankara has deported more than 5,000 Daesh suspects and 3,290 foreign terrorists from 95 countries in recent years and has dismantled several terrorist cells that provided logistical assistance in Syria and Iraq and for plotting attacks inside the country.
