March 26, 2018•Update: March 26, 2018
ANKARA/MARDIN, Turkey
Turkey has neutralized at least 27 terrorists in counter-terror operations from March 19-26, the Interior Ministry announced Monday.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement that Turkish Armed Forces carried out a total of 1,224 operations across Turkey, last week.
The terrorists were neutralized in the Turkish provinces of Mardin, Sirnak, Van, Mus, Tunceli, Batman, and Diyarbakir.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
During the operations, 686 suspects were also arrested for aiding and assisting the PKK terrorist group, and 65 others for their suspected links to the Daesh terrorist group.
Another 568 suspects were arrested over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and 32 others for links to leftist terrorist groups.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the July 2016 defeated coup, which martyred 250 people and injured some 2,200.
In addition, 300 kilograms of explosive-making materials, 24 hand grenades, 44 weapons, and some 1,664 pieces of ammunition were seized in nationwide counter-terrorism operations, said the ministry.
Also, 4,916 individuals were arrested over terror crimes, undocumented migration, drug trafficking and contraband smuggling.
In a separate operation to apprehend wanted criminals, 586 people were arrested across Turkey.
In an operation against social media propaganda, after examining 783 social media accounts, the cybercrime division of the police launched legal proceedings against 259 suspects.
The statement also indicated that 3,473 suspects were held over undocumented migration and 89 for human smuggling.
In the anti-drug and contraband operations, 1.57 kilograms of cannabis, 124 kilograms of heroin, 1 kilo of synthetic cannabinoid (bonzai), 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, 9,843 drug pills, 10 thousand cannabis plants, 313,982 packs of smuggled cigarettes and 435 liters of fuel were seized.
Moreover, 438 suspects were arrested.
Reporting by Cankut Tasdan, Sertac Bulur and Halil Ibrahim Sincar; Writing by Sadik Kedir Abdu
