Many weapons seized, dozens arrested with links to ISIS
by Fatih Şemsettin Işık
ISTANBULJul 22, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Fatih Şemsettin Işık
Jul 22, 2015 12:00 am
Police officials announced that after carrying out numerous operations in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorist organization in operations conducted in 18 different cities in the last six months, including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Şanlıurfa, Hatay and Gaziantep, 551 suspects were sought on charges of being members of the organization, recruiting and financially supporting the organization. Officials said that 101 of the suspects were arrested, and 13 plastic explosive, 12 hand grenades, including three hand-made grenades, three long-barreled weapons, 10 shotguns, 21 pistols and 1,979 bullets to be used for activities in Turkey were confiscated during the operations on ISIS cell houses.These latest operations were discussed in the latest security meeting held on Monday along with the decision to fight against ISIS. Security officials detected those who provide financial support and recruit for the organization, and anti-terror police officials created the relevant investigation files following those detections.
Reportedly, most of those who were included in recruiting are tradesmen, and some websites and several associations were used for meetings and sharing information. It was also revealed that among the 551 of those detained, there are people who had fought with ISIS and crossed back into Turkey. Many of the cell houses were located in uptown districts, the report says.
Furthermore, some progress has been made in preventing prospective foreign fighters from crossing the Turkish-Syrian border to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, 15,000 people have been banned from entry, and 3,400 have been deported from the country.
Challenging accusations that Turkey has been accused of supporting ISIS was discussed in Monday's security meeting and the lack of cooperation with the international community was also emphasized.
Regarding allegations that Turkey supports ISIS, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın made a statement late on Tuesday in which he discussed what Turkey has done in the fight against ISIS. "The fact that Turkey is completely against every terrorist organization, including ISIS, is self-explanatory," Kalın said, and added: "It is completely false that Turkey has not condemned ISIS terror and that it has not carried out military operation against its militants. Turkey listed ISIS as a terrorist organization in October 2013."
About the terrorist attack that took place in Suruç in southeastern Turkey on Monday that killed 32 and injured 104, he said: "An extensive investigation has commenced regarding the terrorist attack in Suruç. With those obvious realities about Turkey's stance on terrorist organizations, it is saddening that some politicians try to take advantage of the suicide attack and breed bad blood in the region."
In addition to its clear stance against every kind of terrorism, many officials have said countless times that Turkey has never supported any terrorist organization. The allegations against Turkey, however, continue from politicians and in some local and international media outlets.
Though President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized many times that Turkey has never supported any terrorist organization regardless of its ideology and that terror "does not have any race, religion or sect," many members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), including Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, have accused Turkey of supporting ISIS after clashes between the Democratic Union Party's (PYD) People's Protection Units (YPG) and ISIS started.
On the other hand, many senior ISIS members have accused Turkey of supporting the PKK-offshoot PYD in Syria.
Demirtaş criticized the government for stoking tensions, and on Tuesday faulted Erdoğan for not cutting short an official trip to Turkish Cyprus in the wake of the attack.
Demirtaş also rebuked Erdoğan for not offering his condolences to the families of the victims, blaming the HDP for the attack and supporting ISIS, all charges that Kalın said were "unacceptable, fictitious claims and deliberate distortions."
"Contrary to Demirtaş's claims, President Erdoğan made a statement yesterday [Monday] in which he openly and fiercely condemned the terrorist attack in Suruç and stressed that the perpetrators would be found and punished whoever they may be."
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