UPDATE 2 - 54 Daesh suspects arrested in Turkey

ADDS OPERATIONS, NUMBER OF ARRESTS

By Abdullah Ozkul, Halil Demir, Rauf Maltas and Muhammed Kaygin

ISTANBUL/ADANA/SANLIURFA/CANKIRI, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security forces arrested 54 people Tuesday with suspected links to the Daesh terror group during anti-terror operations in Turkey.

Anti-terror police carried out simultaneous raids on several addresses in southern Adana province, said a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Twelve suspects, including two Syrians, were arrested during the operations.

Anti-terror squads conducted simultaneous operations at 29 locations in five districts of Istanbul and eastern Batman province, apprehending 28 foreigners who were allegedly planning to carry out an attack.

During the raid, police also seized a number of documents and digital tools.

Police arrested 13 Iraqi nationals over suspected links to Daesh in central Cankiri province.

In Sanliurfa province’s Akcakale district, bordering Syria, another Daesh terrorist was arrested by Turkish security forces.

More than 300 people have lost their lives in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket and gun attacks.

Turkish security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to thwart Daesh attacks.