Turkey detains 357 Islamic State suspects nationwide after deadly clash

Reuters. Turkish police detained 357 suspects in a nationwide operation against Islamic State on Tuesday, the interior minister said, a day after three police officers and six militants were killed in a gunfight in northwest Turkey.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities carried out raids in 21 provinces across the country. 

“Just as we have never given an opportunity to those who try to bring this country to its knees with terrorism, we will never give them an opportunity in the future either,” he said on X. 

Earlier, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office had said police raided 114 addresses in Istanbul and two other provinces, and various digital materials and documents were seized.

Police clashed with the militants on Monday in an eight-hour siege at a house in the town of Yalova, on the Sea of Marmara coast south of Istanbul, a week after more than 100 suspected IS members were detained in connection with alleged plans to carry out Christmas and New Year attacks.

Eight police officers and another security force member were wounded in the raid on that property, which was one of more than 100 addresses targeted by authorities on Monday.

Turkey has stepped up operations against suspected IS militants this year, as the group returns to prominence globally.