ANKARA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police have detained 161 individuals suspected of ties to the Islamic State (IS) in a nationwide counter-terrorism operation, Türkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Friday.
The operation, which took place over the past week, spanned 38 provinces, including major cities such as the capital Ankara and Istanbul, according to Yerlikaya's post on the social media platform X.
The suspects were allegedly providing financial support to the IS, and the police also seized unlicensed weapons and numerous organizational documents and digital materials in the operation, Yerlikaya said, vowing to continue such operations "without interruption for the peace and security of our nation."
In mid-July, Turkish police detained 153 suspects across 28 provinces in a sweeping counter-terrorism operation targeting the IS.
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. ■