Turkey detains 304 people over suspected Islamic State ties

ANKARA — Turkish authorities have detained 304 people suspected of having ties to militant group Islamic State in operations across 32 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday (Dec 22).

The majority of the suspects were detained in Turkey's three biggest cities of Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, Yerlikaya said on social messaging platform X. He said the operation, Operation Heroes-34, was carried out simultaneously across the country.

"We will not allow any terrorists to open their eyes, for the peace and unity of our people. We will continue our battle with the intense efforts of our security forces," he said, sharing footage of the operations which showed police entering apartments and buildings and dragging suspects into vehicles.

Islamic State controlled one third of Iraq and Syria at its 2014 peak. Though beaten back, it continues to wage insurgent attacks.

It has conducted numerous attacks across Turkey, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan 1, 2017, in which 39 people were killed.

Authorities have ramped up operations against Islamic State and Kurdish militants in recent weeks, after Kurdish militants detonated a bomb near government buildings in Ankara on Oct 1.

Turkey regularly conducts operations at home and in northern Iraq on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it regards as a terrorist organisation.

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