ISTANBUL, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained 21 suspects in a large-scale counterterrorism operation against the Islamic State (IS) here on Monday, local authorities said.
According to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, police units carried out simultaneous raids on 22 locations across 11 districts in Istanbul.
The raids followed an investigation into 24 suspects, including nine foreign ones, who allegedly used a mobile application named "RocketChat" for organizational communication, engaged in propaganda activities on social media, and maintained connections with conflict zones, the office said in a statement.
Efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the remaining three suspects, it added.
Türkiye officially designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013 and has since been targeted by the group in multiple attacks. In response, Ankara has launched numerous counterterrorism operations both domestically and abroad. ■
