ANKARA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's gendarmerie detained 51 individuals suspected of links to the Islamic State (IS) in a sweeping counterterrorism operation over the past two weeks, the country's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday.
The suspects are accused of membership in IS, financing so-called aid organizations linked to the group, and disseminating terrorist propaganda via social media platforms, Yerlikaya said on social media platform X, adding that operations were carried out in 34 provinces.
Several organizational documents and digital materials were seized during the raids, he said.
"We continue our operations day and night, 365 days a year, to ensure peace and stability in every region of our country," he said.
Türkiye designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a series of deadly attacks in the country. Since then, the country has carried out counter-terrorism operations both domestically and abroad to crack down on IS members and activities. ■
