Türkiye increases security measures after Quran burnings in Europe
Three suspects are escorted by police after being arrested for Daesh membership in Kilis province, Türkiye, Jan. 30, 2023 (AA Photo)


Türkiye has increased its security measures following the anti-Islam and anti-Türkiye attacks, including the burning of the Quran recently in Europe, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

"After the ominous actions against our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, all evaluations were made against all possible provocations, and our security measures were maximized," the ministry said in a statement.

In this context, the ministry also evaluated the information that terrorist organizations such as Daesh and al-Qaida are also seeking action in many countries, citing the aforementioned "abominable acts."

Türkiye "meticulously" evaluates the intelligence information transmitted to Ankara from time to time from countries that issue security warnings for Türkiye and from many other countries. The ministry said that after receiving information, the suspects were arrested but no guns, ammunition or attack-aiding material were found in searches while an investigation for digital material is also underway.

"Operations against terrorist organizations continue uninterrupted in our country," said the ministry

"In 2022, 1,042 operations were carried out against the Daesh terrorist organization, and 1,981 people were detained. In January 2023, a total of 60 operations were carried out against the same organization and 95 people were detained," the ministry noted.

The ministry added that, in 2022, a total of 134,713 operations were carried out against the PKK terrorist organization, and 8,410 suspects were detained in these operations. "In January 2023, a total of 9,040 operations were carried out against the same organization, and 378 people were detained during the operations," it said.

Türkiye was one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group in 2013.

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 assaults. In response, Ankara launched counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks, eliminating nearly 17,000 terrorists from both Daesh and the PKK over the course of six years.