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Turkiye detains 304 people over suspected Daesh ties

Turkish police officers stand guard by Turkey's national flags within a memorial ceremony on June 28, 2017 at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul, one year since the triple suicide bombing and gun attack by Islamic State (IS) jihadists. Turkey on June 28 marked one year since the triple suicide bombing and gun attack on its main international airport in Istanbul that left dozens dead and was blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)

ANKARA (Reuters) : Turkish authorities have detained 304 people suspected of having ties to militant group Daesh in operations across 32 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday.

The majority of the suspects were detained in Turkiye’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.

Daesh 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 Turkiye, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017, in which 39 people were killed.

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

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

The Frontier Post