Turkish police pursue anti-terror operations for second day in a row
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Turkish police have pursued anti-terror operations Saturday for the second day in a row of its nationwide anti-terror operation.
Turkish police have detained a total of 590 people, including at least 37 foreigners, suspected of having ties with terrorist groups across Turkey, said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Saturday.
On Saturday, police operations took place in Istanbul, Adana, Adiyaman, Izmir, Konya, Ankara, Manisa, Kocaeli, Tunceli, Erzincan, and Sanliurfa provinces.
The nationwide anti-terror operation comes days after 32 people were killed in the southeastern Turkish Province of Sanliurfa on Monday in a Daesh-suspected suicide attack.
Following the attack, four Turkish police officers were killed in various attacks.
On Friday night and early hours of Saturday, Turkish Air Forces bombed for the first time in last two-and-a- half years PKK camps in northern Iraq. Turkey also launched attacks for the second day against Daesh.
- Istanbul
Many people were detained Saturday morning in the anti-terror operations in Istanbul. Police did not divulge the exact number of those apprehended.
A police helicopter was providing aerial support to Anti-Terror Branch forces of Istanbul Police in Istanbuls Beyoglu district.
- Adana
A total of 54 people were apprehended Saturday in Adana province, southern Turkey, They are suspected of being members of either Daesh or of the Kurdish Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H) a youth organization founded by PKK sympathizers.
- Adiyaman
Turkish police detained 15 people Saturday in Adiyaman province, southeastern Turkey, during anti-terror raids.
- Izmir
Izmir police raided numerous houses in the western Turkish province, confiscating documents and other materials.
Many, suspected of being members of YDG-H were apprehended in Izmirs Menemen district, but police did not divulge the exact number.
- Konya- Ankara Manisa
Police also staged Saturday anti-Daesh operations in Konya, Manisa and Ankara.
Some 300 police forces participated in the operation, in which 16 people were detained.
Police sources said that the operation is continuing and the number of those detained may rise.
- Kocaeli
The Kocaeli province police forces raided many houses in five districts and apprehended seven people suspected of having ties to the far left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C).
The DHKP-C was mostly active during the Cold War era, but the group has revived its attacks in recent years. It was involved in the killing of a senior prosecutor in Istanbul in March.
- Tunceli
Tunceli police launched simultaneous anti-terror operations in numerous districts of the middle of the Eastern Anatolian province of Tunceli, detaining five PKK suspect members.
Police confiscated numerous documents found in homes and cars.
- Erzincan
At least eight people were detained in eastern Turkish province of Erzincan in police operations.
- Sanliurfa
Police of the southeastern Turkish Province of Sanliurfa staged a simultaneous anti-PKK operation in Suruc - the location of Monday's Daesh-linked bombing in which 32 people died - and in Ceylanpinar, where the two officers were found shot dead at their shared home on Wednesday, as well as in Birecik district.