At least 19 suspects linked to the Daesh terrorist group were arrested in Istanbul, Turkish security sources said on Monday.
The arrests were made in simultaneous operations at 20 locations across the megacity as local counterterrorism teams started to track down 20 suspects, according to the sources who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The remaining suspect is sought by the police, the sources added.
In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group.
Turkey ranks first among the countries that have faced the most attacks at the hands of Daesh. The organization has carried out terrorist attacks against Turkey both inside and outside Turkey. A total of 309 civilians and security forces have been killed and 1,338 injured in suicide bombings, other bombings and gun attacks by Daesh, which has carried out 20 attacks against Turkey since 2014.
Turkey conducted a total of 5,855 operations against Daesh between 2014-2021. As part of the operations, 1,200 Daesh members were captured and arrested. About half of the organization's members were found to be from 43 countries, while Turkey cleared 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) in Syria occupied by the terrorist organization. As part of Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch, 3,704 Daesh members were killed, while 76,818 people from 151 countries were banned from entering Turkey. More than 7,600 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in activities linked to foreign terrorist fighters have also been deported. Meanwhile, 14 associations were shut down as part of the fight against the organization and 2,564 social media accounts belonging to members of the terrorist group were detected. As a result, 22 terrorist attacks, including live bomb attacks, were foiled.
On Oct. 27, 2019, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the terrorist group, was captured in northwest Syria with the help of Turkey, while his sister and other family members were also captured and brought to Turkey. Turkey, which has so far captured many senior members of the terrorist group, continues its operations unabated.
