21 Daesh/ISIS, al Qaeda suspects caught in Turkey

ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces rounded up 21 foreign nationals for their alleged links to the Daesh/ISIS and al Qaeda terrorist organizations, according to security sources on Monday.

Based on intelligence, anti-terror police launched an operation to apprehend 15 foreign nationals in Ankara, who were found to be either being active Daesh/ISIS members in conflict zones, were in contact with them, or helped them.

As many as 12 suspects were held, who would be treated as foreign terrorist fighters, and handed over to the immigration center for deportation after further interrogation.

The operation to nab the remaining ones continues.

Meanwhile, another suspect, said to have transported as a taxi driver members of Daesh/ISIS and PKK/PYD terrorist organizations to conflict zones, was detained.

In a separate operation against alleged members of Daesh/ISIS and al Qaeda, police in Istanbul held nine foreign nationals in simultaneous raids at 10 locations.

Digital material and organizational documents were also seized during the raids.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.

The country has since been attacked by the organization multiple times. It has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev