Turkey detained 445 alleged Islamic State fighters Sunday after coordinated raids in 18 provinces.
Most of the detainees are foreigners and a number of suspects allegedly planned attacks in the country. At least 60 people were arrested in the capital of Ankara while 150 were detained in the Sanliurfa region near the Syrian border. Local media reports intelligence material was obtained in addition to the arrests.
An additional 780 suspected jihadis are already in detention across the country, including 350 foreigners.
Turkey suffered a number of ISIS-inspired attacks throughout 2017. Triple suicide bombings and a gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport killed 48 people and injured more than 200. A gunman opened fire at a popular nightclub in Istanbul Dec. 31, killing 39 visitors.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since launched a number of anti-terror operations in the country.
“They are working to destroy our country’s morale and create chaos by deliberately targeting our nation’s peace and targeting civilians with these heinous attacks,” Erdogan said in a statement on the presidency website Jan. 2. “Turkey is determined to continue to fight to the end against terror and to do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of its citizens and secure peace in the region.”
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