Turkey nabs 3 foreign nationals over Daesh/ISIS links

By Sezgin Pancar

MERSIN, Turkey (AA) - Turkish forces have arrested at least three foreign nationals for suspected links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group, security sources said on Friday.

Anti-terror police teams and intelligence units arrested the suspects, all of whom were Iraqi nationals who had entered the country illegally, in operations based in the southern province of Mersin, said the local gendarmerie command.

The operations was carried out simultaneously in three provinces including the northwestern Sakarya and southeastern Gaziantep under an investigation initiated by the chief prosecutor's office in Mersin.

According to the investigation, the suspects were found to be organizing the purchase and sale of arms, as well as making ammunition transfers for Daesh/ISIS members in conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.

Security forces also seized digital materials during the operations.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.