Darth Vader masks found in ISIL cells in southeast Turkey

DİYARBAKIR

Police have seized a number of plastic masks in the likeness of Darth Vader, the villain from the Star Wars film series, during searches conducted in houses rented by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, daily Habertürk has reported.

The plastic Darth Vader masks were reportedly used by ISIL militants as a form of face protection from shrapnel in the event of an attack.

On Oct. 26, police raided ISIL houses in Diyarbakır in a major operation in which two policemen and seven ISIL militants were killed.

According to the same report, the ISIL militants had rented the houses saying they would marry soon.

Meanwhile, one of the neighbors living next to the houses said the ISIL militants moved two months ago, adding they were excavating in the garden at night and speaking both Arabic and Zaza.