Türkiye has arrested 17 ISIS members and an individual who attempted to sneak into the country through two operations in the two southern provinces Adana and Hatay.
The Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya said that 17 members of the terrorist ISIS group were arrested in Adana and another individual was apprehended during his attempt to sneak into the Turkish lands.
Yerlikaya added on his X account that the counter-terrorism forces raided 23 sites in the province, arrested 17 individuals, and confiscated grenades and weapons.
He added that five of them were kept in custody while the other 12 were released but were put under judicial supervision.
In the meantime, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense arrested another ISIS member during his attempt to sneak into the country through the Syrian borders.
In a statement, the ministry revealed that the border guards in Hatay arrested someone who tried to illegally enter the Turkish lands.
Türkiye designated ISIS in 2013 and since then has been a target for several attacks which the group claimed responsibility for. These attacks killed more than 300 and wounded hundreds.
In response, Türkiye launched counter-terrorism operations in the country and abroad to avoid more attacks.
Since the beginning of 2017, the Turkish authorities arrested thousands of members and deported hundreds of others to their home countries.
Turkish security sources revealed that a total of 6,890 individuals were arrested during their attempt to enter the country in illegal ways, including 487 who are suspects of being part of terrorist organizations.
The Turkish authorities revealed that 487 individuals out of the arrested belong to ISIS and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The sources added that the Turkish forces prevented 248,000 persons from accessing the country by illegal means, arrested 7,000 illegal migrants, and apprehended 789 others for suspecting their affiliation with terrorist organizations in 2022.
