ANKARA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities on Wednesday detained at least 19 people with alleged links to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Anti-terror police in the Turkish capital of Ankara have launched raids on 15 foreign nationals over alleged ties with the IS, some of whom had been active inside the group in past years, the state-run TRT television reported.
At least 12 of the suspects were detained in the raids, the TRT stated.
Meanwhile, the Turkish security forces detained four IS suspects in southeastern Batman province, Ihlas News Agency reported.
Two Syrians in southeastern Sanliurfa province and another Syrian in central Kayseri province were also detained for their alleged links to the IS, Demiroren News Agency reported.
The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in Türkiye since 2015.
Türkiye's southern border with Syria has been a popular crossing point for Syrians and foreign fighters since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011. ■
