Three Turkish police officers were killed this morning during an armed clash with members of the ISIS terrorist group in the northwest Turkey‘s province of Yalova, official sources said, in an operation in which six members of the jihadist organisation were also killed.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that the officers were killed in a gun attack by ISIS terrorists during a police operation. In addition, eight policemen and a security guard were wounded, according to information published by the Turkish news agency Anatolia.
The shooting took place in the Elmalı district while units of the Provincial Police Directorate were attempting to raid a house where the suspects were hiding, located on the road to the village of Elmalık, on the outskirts of the city of Yalova.
The operation, launched in the early hours of 29 December, was part of a series of simultaneous nationwide raids targeting jihadist groups in Turkey after intelligence reports revealed that ISIS is planning New Year’s Eve attacks in Istanbul and Ankara. When officers arrived at the specified address, the occupants of the property opened fire on police officers. The clashes began at around 2 am and lasted until 9.40 am.
The shooting went on for 7 hours and forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood
“This morning simultaneous operations were carried out in 108 different locations in 15 provinces. One of them took place in Yalova at 2:00 this morning; during the operation in a house on Seher Street in İsmet Paşa neighbourhood, ISIS terrorists opened fire on our heroic policemen. As a result of this treacherous attack, unfortunately 3 of our heroic policemen were martyred (killed in the line of duty). Eight policemen and a security guard were also wounded,” said Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The minister explained that the intervention was carried out with particular caution due to the presence of women and children inside the house. In total, five women and six children were safely evacuated . “In the ensuing clash, six terrorists were killed. The terrorists are Turkish citizens. The operation was completed at 09:40,” he added.
As the clashes lasted for several hours and spread to nearby streets, five schools in the area suspended classes for the entire day. In addition, the authorities cut off natural gas and electricity supplies as a precautionary measure and restricted civilian and vehicle access to the neighbourhood where the operation took place.
Following the operation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the families of the dead officers and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. “We will continue our resolute fight, at all levels and without quarter, against the blood-stained terrorists who threaten the peace of our nation and the security of our state, both within and outside our borders,” Erdoğan said.
In Akçakoca, a district in Turkey’s northwestern Düzce province, a Turkish flag was hung this morning at the family home of Turgut Külünk, one of the policemen killed in the operation against ISIS, as neighbours and friends came to visit his home to express their condolences to the family.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
