Turkish police conducts ISIL ops in Istanbul

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkish anti-terror police conducted operations in the early hours of Nov. 9 in Istanbul.

According to a police statement, the operations were carried out to arrest ISIL terror suspects with alleged links to the terrorist group’s operatives in Syria.

Some 17 addresses in 11 districts of Istanbul were stormed and 17 terror suspects were detained, the statement said.

Meanwhile, at least 11 suspects have been detained in northwestern Bursa province.

Anti-terror teams of police in Bursa province conducted simultaneous operations in two different parts of the province, according to a security source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

During the operation, two suspects, who were active with the terror group in Syria, and nine others, who were prohibited to enter Turkey for having links to the terror group, were detained, the source added.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare ISIL a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by ISIL terrorists multiple times, with 315 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks.

In response, Turkey has launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.