Scores of suspects have been detained by Turkish authorities over alleged links with Islamic State group jihadists in a nationwide sweep ahead of New Year celebrations, the interior minister said on Saturday.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Ali Yerlikaya said that 189 suspects had been detained as part of simultaneous operations dubbed “HEROES-38” carried out in 37 cities including Istanbul.
Twenty-seven suspects were detained in the capital Ankara alone and 22 in Istanbul, he said.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Turkey has in recent months intensified operations against IS jihadists who have claimed a number of deadly attacks on Turkish soil including the January 1, 2017 attack on a nightclub in Istanbul which killed 39 people.
Read Also: Suspected Jihadists Kill 29 Niger Soldiers – Defence Ministry
On Friday, Turkish security forces detained 32 IS suspects including three senior members who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues as well as the Iraqi embassy.
Israel demanded the immediate return of all diplomatic staff from Turkey just as Erdogan‘s remarks came to an end.
In response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh condemnation of their military operation against Hamas militants in Gaza, Israel stated on Saturday that it would be recalling its diplomatic staff from Turkey.
This action severely dented the initial attempts by both parties to reestablish political and economic ties, which had remained nearly frozen for a decade.
Israel and Turkey, the predominately Muslim nation that serves as the cornerstone of NATO defenses on the edge of the Middle East, had only recently settled on the reinstatement of ambassadors last year.
They were also reopening negotiations on a US-supported natural gas pipeline venture that could have laid the groundwork for much closer and enduring cooperation in the foreseeable future.
However, their relationship has deteriorated as Erdogan intensifies the speed and ferocity of his criticisms directed at Israel’s retaliatory military action against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.