Turkey detained 125 suspected members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in raids across 25 provinces on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, as authorities expanded a nationwide sweep launched after three police officers were killed in a shootout during a raid on Monday.
Yerlikaya said the latest detentions included operations in İstanbul, the capital city of Ankara and northwestern Yalova province, where the deadly gun battle took place.
The fresh raids took place after security forces carried out a large operation following the Yalova clash in 21 provinces that Yerlikaya said resulted in 357 detentions.
On Monday Yerlikaya said police came under fire during an early morning operation in Yalova province. He said three police officers were killed, eight were wounded and a neighborhood night watchman was injured, while six suspected ISIL militants were also killed.
In his post on X on Wednesday, Yerlikaya shared video footage showing police teams raiding locations and escorting suspects in handcuffs.
Authorities have carried out a series of ISIL sweeps in recent days after intelligence warnings about possible attacks during Christmas and New Year’s events.
Turkey has faced major ISIL attacks in the past decade, including the January 1, 2017, nightclub attack in İstanbul that killed 39 people.
With reporting by Agence France-Presse