Turkish security forces on Thursday detained six suspects over their links to the Daesh terrorist group in a counterterrorism operation in southern Turkey's Osmaniye province.
The counter-terrorism branch of the Provincial Security Directorate detained the suspects who were Syrian nationals, identified by the initials M.M, A.A., M.H.A., I.K., A.E. and E.E., over their alleged involvement in armed conflicts in Syria.
Turkish security forces have been carrying out a long-running campaign to rid the country of Daesh terrorists. The terrorist group is blamed for a string of terror attacks in Turkey over the past three years that killed dozens of people in Istanbul and Ankara as well as cities in the southeast.
Military operations in Syria and Iraq have led to a rapid decline in Daesh territories and the number of its militants. Turkey helped the Syrian moderate opposition, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), to regain control of a number of Daesh-controlled towns in an operation in 2016.
Most foreigners looking to join Daesh in Syria have attempted to use Turkey as their crossing point. Turkey has taken significant measures against foreign Daesh members and has urged Western countries for intelligence cooperation.
According to official figures, some 2,000 people have been arrested and 7,000 others deported in operations against Daesh in Turkey, while around 70,000 people have been denied entry to Turkey over their suspected links to the terrorist group.
Security forces have also foiled at least 10 attack plots. Figures show that some 18,500 suspects are currently being monitored for links to the terrorist group after being identified at airports upon arrival.