Police detain 61 Daesh-linked suspects in counterterror ops in Turkey's Erzurum, Bursa

AT least 61 Daesh-linked terror suspects were detained in Turkey's eastern Erzurum and northwestern Bursa provinces, security officials said yesterday. The latest detentions bring the total number of terror suspects held by Turkish police over the weekend to 134.

In Erzurum, 22 suspects, including senior members of Daesh were arrested as part of the investigation against the terrorist group carried out by Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

Counter-terror squads carried out operations against the Daesh-linked suspects in the central, Yakutiye, Palandöken and Aziziye districts, the official said.

Additionally, the police seized several weapons including two unlicensed guns, two unlicensed hunting rifles, digital data and organizational documents, the official added.

According to another security official, 39 suspects were arrested during operations carried out by the police's counter-terrorism branch in Osmangazi, Yıldırım, Nilüfer, Gemlik, Inegöl, Orhangazi and Gürsu districts of Bursa.

The official said that the suspects included two Azerbaijani and 28 Syrian nationals, while eight of them are underage.

Earlier yesterday, police detained 10 suspects in Izmir province, while on Saturday police in Ankara, Istanbul and Şanlıurfa provinces detained 63 suspects.

Over 319 people have lost their lives in Daesh attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket and gun attacks.

Turkey has been targeted by a wave of deadly attacks since 2015 by Daesh and PKK terrorists.

Turkey has deported more than 5,000 Daesh suspects and 3,290 foreign terrorists from 95 different countries in recent years, while dismantling terror cells and safe houses providing logistical assistance to the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq or plotting attacks inside the country.

The country's efforts against Daesh made it a primary target for the terrorist group, which carried out numerous gun and bomb attacks targeting security forces and civilians, including the country's deadliest terror attack, which killed 102 people and wounded 400 others through a twin suicide bombing at a rally in capital Ankara, on Oct. 10, 2015.