Turkiye holds 125 more IS suspects in nationwide sweep

Ankara: Turkish authorities on Wednesday pressed ahead with nationwide operations against suspected Islamic State members, detaining 125 people in simultaneous raids across 25 provinces.

In the past week, police have taken hundreds of Islamic State (IS) suspects into custody in nationwide raids aimed at preventing possible attacks during Christmas and New Year festivities.

Members of a suspected IS cell opened fire on police carrying out one such raid in the northwestern province of Yalova on Monday. Six IS suspects and three police officers were killed in the clash, while eight other officers and a night guard were wounded when security forces stormed a house used as a hideout.

Authorities said all of the militants were Turkish citizens. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Wednesday’s raids were coordinated by police and gendarmerie forces and were carried out in cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and Yalova.