Turkey detains 283 suspected IS militants in last 11 days

Turkish police have detained 283 suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in Turkey in the past 11 days, a statement released by Security General Directorate said Thursday.

The statement said that among the 283 suspected IS militants, 187 are foreign nationals while 96 are Turkish citizens.

During the anti-IS operations conducted in 25 provinces across Turkey between Oct. 22 and Nov. 1, the police also seized 66 improvised explosive devices and other weapons.

Last weekend, police successfully foiled a plot by IS extremists to carry out a bomb attack on a shopping mall in Istanbul and detained the perpetrators.

Turkey has suffered several deadly attacks that killed more than 300 people since 2015, and government blames IS as plotter.

According to Turkish Justice Ministry, at least 780 people, including 350 foreigners, remain in detention, some of whom have been convicted, for suspected links to the IS group.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)