Turkish police have detained 14 foreign nationals with suspected links to Daesh terrorists in counterterrorism operations carried out in northern Samsun province.
Counterterrorism squads carried out simultaneous dawn raids in Samsun's Ilkadım district and detained the suspects, all Iraqi nationals, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported Monday.
Police have confiscated digital material seized during raids, the report said, adding that the suspects had been transferred to the police station for interrogation
Earlier in September, Turkish police detained Mahmut Özden, the so-called top emir of the terrorist group in Turkey.
Although the terrorist group has been largely defeated in Iraq and Syria, its presence still poses a threat, as individuals following its ideology encourage others to carry out violence. European analysts have also warned of further attacks, as isolated individuals not under the watch of intelligence services have become more common.
Turkey recognized Daesh as a terrorist group in 2013 and since then, the country has been attacked numerous times, including in 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed assaults, which have killed 315 people and injured hundreds more.
In response, Turkey launched military and police operations both inside and outside the country, capturing top Daesh members in counterterrorism efforts at home and in Syria.
Turkish intelligence played a key role in the death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by detaining and extraditing one of his aids to Iraq, who provided U.S. authorities with critical information in locating him.
According to Interior Ministry figures, at least 2,000 people were arrested and 7,000 others deported in operations against Daesh in Turkey in the past few years, while around 70,000 people have been denied entry into the country over their suspected links to the terrorist group.
