Law enforcement nabs 88 ISIL suspects in nationwide raids

ANKARA

Turkish security forces have detained 88 suspects linked to the ISIL in coordinated operations across the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a written statement on Sept. 20.

The raids spanned 23 of the country's 81 provinces, including the capital Ankara, Istanbul and Antalya.

“We will not let any of the terrorist centers open their eyes. We will continue the fight with your prayers and support until the last terrorist is neutralized,” Yerlikaya wrote.

The arrests follow mass detentions in late August when 119 ISIL suspects were apprehended.

Türkiye has faced a series of ISIL-linked attacks in recent years, including the one on a Catholic church in Istanbul in January.

Security units have recently apprehended a relative of former ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the central city of Kırşehir.

In a related development in 2023, Turkish intelligence forces killed then-ISIL leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi in Syria. He had been appointed as the group's chief in November 2022 after the death of the previous leader.