Authorities in the capital Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, launched operations against the Daesh terrorist group after prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 35 suspects on Thursday.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara issued warrants for 10 suspects in an investigation into a terrorist group based on an earlier probe that uncovered digital evidence, including videos posted on social media showing wanted suspects’ affiliation with Daesh. Operations are underway to capture the suspects.
In Istanbul, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 25 suspects and 22 among them were captured. Operations are underway to capture others. In Izmir, police detained nine Syrian suspects affiliated with the terrorist group in raids in the province’s Kemalpaşa, Tire and Torbalı districts.
Last week, 304 people were detained in a nationwide operation against the terrorist group across 32 provinces.
Daesh has conducted numerous attacks across Türkiye, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017, in which 39 people were killed.
Earlier this month, Turkish intelligence and security forces captured a top Daesh terrorist in charge of the terrorist group’s finances in the Damascus region in an operation in Türkiye’s southeastern Mersin province. Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups. In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group. The country has since been attacked by the terrorist group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks. In response, Türkiye launched counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
