Authorities detain 298 ISIL suspects in 47 provinces
ANKARA
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on May 21 that 298 individuals linked to the ISIL terrorist organization were detained over the past two weeks in coordinated police and gendarmerie operations across 47 of Türkiye’s 81 provinces.
According to Yerlikaya’s statement shared via social media, operations were conducted under the coordination of the Public Prosecutor’s Offices, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and security directorates.
Of the 298 suspects, 159 were apprehended in police-led raids in cities including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Gaziantep for suspected active involvement in ISIL and financing terrorist activities.
Meanwhile, gendarmerie forces, acting under similar coordination, detained 139 individuals in provinces such as Van, Hatay, Mersin and Zonguldak, accused of funding ISIL and spreading its propaganda.
The operations also yielded unlicensed firearms, organizational documents and various digital materials believed to be linked to ISIL activities.
