Six militants and three police officers have been killed during a shoot-out after extremists clashed with authorities in Turkey.
At least eight police officers and a night guard were also wounded in the confrontation in the country’s northwest on Monday, Turkey‘s interior minister said.
Shots were fired after police stormed a house where the alleged militants were hiding in the Elmali district in Yalova province, south of Istanbul.
Turkey’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said the operation was one of more than 100 simultaneous raids carried out in 15 provinces across the country against suspected IS militants.
The violence comes amid a crackdown on extremist groups across with country, with Turkish police carrying out another wave of raids last week.
Some 115 militants were arrested for allegedly planning attacks targeting Christmas and new year celebrations during this operation.
Mr Yerlikaya said the operation in Yalova was carried out with “great care” because women and children were inside the house where the alleged militants were located.
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All the militants arrested were Turkish nationals, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences for the police officers who were killed and vowed to push ahead with the fight against extremist groups.
“We will continue our fight against the blood‑stained killers who threaten our nation’s peace and our state’s security both within our borders and beyond, with determination, comprehensively and without compromise,” he said in a statement posted on X.
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The Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Monday’s shooting.
Turkish justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X that five prosecutors had been appointed to lead the probe.
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IS has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Turkey in recent years, including a shooting at an Istanbul nightclub during new year celebrations in 2017, which killed 39 people.
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