Turkey Arrests 20 ISIS Terrorists Nationwide

Police and ambulances arrive at the site of an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Police and ambulances arrive at the site of an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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Turkey Arrests 20 ISIS Terrorists Nationwide

Police and ambulances arrive at the site of an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Police and ambulances arrive at the site of an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

After staging a series of nationwide raids, Turkish security forces arrested 20 suspects tied to the ISIS group and who were suspected of plotting terror attacks.

“A total of 18 people planning [terror] acts have been caught in various provinces with their arms,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, speaking at an opening ceremony in Istanbul's Tuzla district.

Soylu added that two other alleged terror act plotters who were caught were believed to have been getting ready to carry out imminent attacks.

"We also revealed where and how they had been planning [a terror act], and we also detected how close they had been," Soylu said.

Lately, Turkey has scaled up its security operations nationwide, raising the level of alertness for potential terror attacks.

On Friday, for example, anti-terrorist forces detained four ISIS members in the southern state of Adana, after obtaining an arrest warrant. Backed by armored vehicles, security swat teams carried out a raid in the early on Friday, arresting the operatives whilst in possession of illegal arms and communication devices.

Similarly, another 10 terror suspects were nabbed last week for sharing ties with terror group ISIS in the central Kayseri Province.

Over the past few years, Turkey has been the target of multiple terror bombings and witnessed armed attacks hitting big cities like Ankara and Istanbul.

ISIS has adopted the largest number of these assaults and has claimed hundreds of lives and injuries.

Since early 2017, Turkish security forces have arrested more than 4,000 terrorists, most of who were foreigners. Hundreds were deported abroad.

Turkish security forces successfully foiled 347 terrorist operations in 2018, which is nearly half of those thwarted in 2017.



Trump Administration Tells Embassies to Rein in Criticism of Foreign Elections

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump Administration Tells Embassies to Rein in Criticism of Foreign Elections

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

The State Department is pulling back from commenting on or criticizing elections overseas unless there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest in doing so.

In new guidance issued Thursday to all US embassies and consulates abroad, the department said that those outposts should refrain from issuing statements that invoke any particular ideology and that what they may say must be in line with President Donald Trump’s stated position that the US will respect the sovereignty of all foreign nations.

“Consistent with the administration’s emphasis on national sovereignty, the department will comment publicly on elections only when there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so,” according to the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.

The department has for decades issued statements highly critical of or questioning the legitimacy of certain elections, notably in authoritarian countries. That is changing as the Trump administration has emphasized an “America First” foreign policy approach centered on US interests.

“When it is appropriate to comment on a foreign election, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate, and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests,” the cable said.

The document, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and first reported by the Wall Street Journal, said “messages should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy or the democratic values of the country in question.”

In the past, US commentary questioning or criticizing elections aboard often has come in support of findings from various election monitoring groups, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or US-based institutions such as the Carter Center, the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute.

The department cable said that amplifying the findings of outside groups or denouncing electoral irregularities can only be done with permission from senior officials in Washington.