Ankara police arrest 173 Daesh suspects

By Cankut Tasdan, Ugur Ulu and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA, Turkey

A total of 173 Daesh terror suspects were arrested in capital Ankara on Thursday, according to a police source.

The Ankara Police Department's anti-terrorism branch launched an operation with the participation of 1,500 officers after arrest warrants were issued for 245 suspects by the capital's public prosecutor's office, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media. 

Out of 245 suspects, 173 suspects were arrested in simultaneous operations at 250 locations in Sincan, Etimesgut, and Cubuk districts.

Separately, 27 Daesh suspects, including Syrians were arrested in Osmangazi and Yildirim districts of western Bursa province.

Another counter-terror operation in eastern province of Bingol saw seven Daesh suspects arrested on Thursday.

Elsewhere, in the Aegean province of Kutahya, three Iraqis were arrested over links to Daesh during a counter-terror operation. The arrests came after Kutahya prosecutors issued arrest warrants.

Also, in central Eskisehir province, another operation led to the arrests of four Daesh suspects, including two foreigners. 

Turkish security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to thwart Daesh attacks. Since August last year, Istanbul police have carried out over 100 operations and detained nearly 1,000 suspects.