Turkey: 199 Daesh suspects arrested since Jan 2016

By Volkan Kasik

MALATYA, Turkey

At least 199 Daesh suspects have been arrested in counter-terrorism operations across Turkey since the start of this year, unnamed security sources told Anadolu Agency Monday.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking with the media, a large cache of arms and ammunition as well as documents belonging to the organization had also been seized during the operations.

Out of 863 suspects taken into custody since 2016, 199 were arrested, the sources added.

So far, the number of “neutralized” Daesh terrorists is 1,172, including 807 in Syria and 365 in northern Iraq.

On the Syrian border alone, 388 Daesh terrorists and 82 PYD/PKK terrorists had been captured this year.

Also, Turkish military hit 2,144 Daesh positions between May 1 and May 5 this year in accordance with rules of engagement.

Turkey has also shelled Daesh positions in response to rocket attacks on its soils.

Turkish towns and provinces have been repeatedly hit by rockets from across the border since mid-January this year. In Kilis province alone, local governor said 20 people were killed and almost 70 others were wounded in rocket attacks from Syria.

On May 2, Turkish forces hit back and struck Daesh gun emplacements and ammunition dumps in Suran, Arshak, Ikdakh and Ihtimalat regions on the Syrian side of the border, killing 64 terrorists.

On Jan. 12, Daesh carried out a suicide attack at Istanbul's Sultanahmet district that killed 12 German tourists and wounded 13 others.

On Saturday, Turkish jets hit four Daesh positions in northern Iraq, following a stray projectile incident that left one Turkish soldier martyred and another wounded at a Turkish military base located in the region.

In addition to the Sultanahmet blast, Daesh has also been linked to a number of other suicide bombings in Turkey; the March 19 attack in Istanbul killed four tourists, including three Israelis and an Iranian.

Also, 103 people were killed in the October 2015 attack on a rally in the capital Ankara.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Hatice Vildan Topaloglu contributed to this report from Ankara.