By Halil Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish security forces rounded up 11 foreign nationals for alleged links to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in the metropolis of Istanbul, security sources said on Thursday.
Anti-terror police teams launched an operation to nab the suspects, thought to be part of groups planning attacks on behalf of Daesh/ISIS, said the sources, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
As part of the investigation, police teams carried out simultaneous operations at 11 locations in four different Istanbul districts.
A large number of digital materials and organizational documents were also seized during the raids.
Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.
The country has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists multiple times. The group has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.
In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara