Police detained more than 250 suspected members of terrorist groups

Turkish police carried out a series of special operations in 13 provinces of the country, as a result of which more than 250 alleged members of terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State (IS), were detained. Almost simultaneously with this, Turkish Air Force fighters attacked IS command posts in Syria.

Turkish soldiers stand near the Mursitpinar border gate in the town of Suruç
Photo: Murad Sezer, Reuters

“On July 24, units of the General Directorate of Security carried out simultaneous operations in 13 provinces of the country and detained 251 members of terrorist organizations,” the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office said. “Their activities were aimed at preparing actions and attacks on our security forces and citizens. These individuals, members of the Islamic State, the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party and its associated organizations, fringe leftist groups, posed a threat to public order." A total of 5 thousand police and special forces officers took part in the special operation. Helicopters helped coordinate their actions. Medics were on duty in the area where the special operations were taking place.

The decision to conduct a special operation came after IS terrorists fired at Turkish military personnel in the Kilis province from Syrian territory on Thursday. After this, as a retaliatory step, the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces began to redeploy armored and artillery units and army special forces to the border. Throughout the night, strikes from large-caliber small arms and tanks were carried out across Syrian territory controlled by IS militants.

The Syrian war has broken out in Turkey

In addition, in response to the attack, the Turkish army began to strike Islamist targets in Syria. “Three F-16 aircraft hit three IS targets between 3:40 and 3:53. Laser-guided bombs were dropped on two pre-established command posts and one assembly point. The planes have returned to base,” the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. According to unconfirmed reports, 35 IS militants were killed.

On Thursday, the Turkish government gave the United States permission to use its territory for airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. We are talking about expanding the functions of the US Air Force bases Incirlik and Diyarbakir, located on the very border of Syria and Turkey. Previously, the bases could only be used for launching reconnaissance drones and repairing equipment, but now also for combat operations against the Islamic State. At the briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was unable to answer a question about the details of the deal, but The Wall Street Journal's source in the US Department of Defense said that the agreement reached between the American and Turkish authorities also implies the possibility of expanding the functions of other American bases in Turkey to fight with IG.

The Turkish government has previously been accused of inaction against IS militants who have taken advantage of the porous Syrian-Turkish border in the south. However, following the massive terrorist attack carried out by IS in the predominantly Kurdish city of Suruc on July 20, Interior Minister Sebahattin Ozturk said that “this attack is aimed at the unity of the Turkish people” and promised to take all necessary measures to combat the terrorists.

Pavel Tarasenko, Mikhail Korostikov

Why Ankara is accused of collaborating with IS

At the end of June, one of the hottest spots on the Syrian front once again became the Kurdish city of Kobani on the border with Turkey. Detachments of the “Islamic State” (IS) made a sudden attempt to capture it and almost achieved their goal - they managed to repel the offensive only at the cost of heavy losses, including among the civilian population. The Kurds are convinced that the surprise attack by the Islamic State was made possible thanks to the help of Turkey. The president of this country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is accused of having connections with Islamic radicals, with the help of which he hopes to maximally weaken both his opponents the Kurds and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Read more

Türkiye takes up arms against terrorists