N. Syria: Turkey seizes 1 ton of explosives from Daesh

ANKARA

In a joint operation, Turkish Gendarmerie forces and the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) seized 1 ton of explosives from the Daesh terror group in northern Syria, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Turkish gendarmerie intelligence units and the MIT confiscated explosives in the possession of the Daesh terror group in the central Bab district, northern Syria, the ministry added.

Turkish forces also captured Daesh terrorists who were planning to enter Turkey to launch attacks with explosives.

Security forces also seized a variety of tools for making improvised explosive devices (IED), such as cellphones, electrical wire, 833 fuses, 300 batteries, and suicide vests.

According to the Interior Ministry, the joint operation thwarted possible large-scale bloody attacks of Daesh terrorists, who have previously killed hundreds in suicide attacks and bombings in Turkey.

More than 300 people have been killed in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terrorist group has targeted civilians in suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and gunfire. Turkish security forces have been engaged in a long-running campaign to thwart the Daesh threat.

Over the last three years, Turkey’s Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch have liberated large areas of northern Iraq from YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak and Ali Murat Alhas .