2,500 Daesh members arrested in Turkey since 2013

Some 2,545 suspected Daesh members have been arrested in Turkey since 2013, nearly two thirds of them foreigners, authorities revealed yesterday.

Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported citing the sources as saying that the operations carried out in Turkey during 2013 resulted in the arrest of 230 people, including 78 foreigners, who were referred to court.

Police operations in 2014 resulted in the arrest of 615 people suspected of joining the extremist group including 240 foreigners.

In 2015, Turkish security authorities arrested 1,700 suspects including 492 foreigners.

In October last year, Turkish security forces carried out operations against Daesh in the state of Diyarbakir, southeast of the country, resulting in the killing of seven of its members and the arrest of 12 others.

Two policemen were killed in the operations and five others were wounded.

Nineteen automatic rifles, 170 grenades, 51 handmade grenades, 98 guns, 81 rifles and 341 kilogrammes of explosive materials and assorted ammunition as well as 50 explosive belts were also confiscated.