According to the prosecutor, as a result of the operations, 115 people were detained, but the search for another 22 suspects is ongoing. The prosecutor's office reported that the detainees had maintained contact with ISIS militants outside of Turkey.
These events occurred two days after Turkish intelligence services conducted a raid against ISIS on the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. One of the detained Turkish citizens is believed to have held a high position in the ISIS unit operating in the region and is accused of planning attacks on civilians.
Turkish law enforcement regularly conducts operations against individuals suspected of having links to ISIS, especially given that the country has a lengthy 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria, where the group continues to operate in some areas.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, who has close ties with the Turkish leadership, expressed readiness to cooperate with the U.S. and Europe to eliminate remaining ISIS cells. On Friday, the U.S. began a series of airstrikes against the group's positions in Syria in response to the deaths of three American citizens.
