Turkish counter-terrorism forces arrested 30 ISIS members during security operations in Istanbul, the southern Hatay province and several other areas.
The operations are part of Ankara’s ongoing efforts to curb the activities of the terror group, most notably in wake an the attack on an Istanbul church early this month that left one Turkish national dead.
Counter-terrorism forces in Istanbul arrested on Tuesday 18 ISIS members out of 19 wanted persons identified by the Anti-Terrorism and Organized Crime Office. The manhunt for the last member is still ongoing.
On Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said police detained at least 12 suspected ISIS members in Istanbul and Hatay.
Five suspects were foreign nationals, he said, without specifying their nationalities.
Yerlikaya stressed that the security services will firmly deal with the terrorists and will continue their efforts to combat terrorism.
Authorities have detained 147 people suspected of having ties to ISIS in operations across 33 provinces.
Last month, ISIS renewed its activities in the country after a pause of seven years. Early in February, one Turkish citizen was killed by two ISIS gunmen at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul.
Authorities have already announced the arrest of 25 suspects in connection with the shooting.
Among the 25 remanded in custody were the two suspected gunmen, previously captured by police, who are believed to be tied to ISIS. The first one is Amirjon Khliqov from Tajikistan and the other David Tanduev from Russia.
They were charged with being members of an illegal organization and aggravated intentional homicide. Another nine suspects were released pending trial.
Türkiye has also detained 17 members of the ISIS Khorasan Province in an operation in Istanbul. Investigations revealed that they were involved in the attack on the Santa Maria Catholic Church, and of planning to establish a cell to train ISIS fighters and send them to Middle Eastern countries.
