Turkey launches operations against Islamic State, detains 200 suspects

ISTANBUL – Turkey said it carried out operations against Islamic State (ISIS) across the country on Wednesday, detaining nearly 200 people, a day after three armed attackers launched an extended gun battle with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, in a post on X, said legal proceedings on suspects had begun and that operations against ISIS, the designated terrorist group, “will proceed meticulously.”

Ankara had not yet named a group it deemed responsible for the Tuesday attack, which left one assailant dead and the other two wounded. 

Witnesses said the shootout lasted at least 10 minutes.

The shootout took place in the Levent business district, situated on the European side of Istanbul.

There were no Israeli diplomats at the mission at the time of the shootout, as most have been left since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.

Israel said it would not be cowed after the incident, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "treacherous attack" and vowed to fight "all kinds of terrorism."

In December, ISIS members opened fire on police in Yalova, about 90 kilometres southeast of Istanbul, killing three officers and wounding nine.

Turkish police have stepped up nationwide raids against ISIS militants, rounding up 125 suspects after that attack.

ISIS has carried out other deadly attacks in Turkey, including one at a nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39 people in 2017.