ANKARA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces have detained 153 suspects across 28 provinces in a sweeping counterterrorism operation targeting the Islamic State (IS) over the past two weeks, a cabinet minister said on Friday.
The operation, carried out by gendarmerie units, targeted suspected IS members in the provinces of Adana, Antalya, Istanbul, Izmir and 24 other provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X.
Yerlikaya further said that those detained are accused of being IS members, financing charities allegedly linked to the IS, and spreading terrorist propaganda through their social media accounts.
"The operations will continue without pause," Yerlikaya said, and also shared footage of the raids.
Türkiye designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a series of deadly attacks in the country. Since then, it has carried out counter-terrorism operations both domestically and abroad to crack down on its members and activities. ■
