Turkish security forces have detained 110 suspects in a large-scale operation targeting the Islamic State (IS) group, a day after a deadly gun battle in northwestern Turkey left three police officers and six militants dead, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
According to the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office, the arrests followed coordinated raids carried out across 114 addresses in Istanbul and two other provinces. Authorities said the operation aimed to dismantle suspected IS-linked networks believed to be active in the country.
Read More: Three Turkish cops, six Daesh militants killed in clash
The crackdown comes after an eight-hour siege on Monday at a house in Yalova province, located on the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul. Security forces surrounded the property after receiving intelligence that suspected IS militants were inside.
❗️⚠️🇹🇷 – Turkish security forces engaged in a fierce gunfight with Islamic State (ISIS) militants during a counterterrorism raid in Yalova province, south of Istanbul, on December 29, 2025.
The clash resulted in the deaths of three police officers and six militants, Interior… pic.twitter.com/YvVMW7s3n0
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) December 29, 2025
During the clash, three police officers and six suspected militants were killed, while eight police officers and another member of the security forces were wounded. The Yalova raid was one of more than 100 locations targeted nationwide as part of broader counterterrorism efforts.
Prosecutors said police sought to arrest 115 suspects during Tuesday’s operation and managed to detain 110 of them. Various digital materials and documents were seized and are being examined as part of the investigation.
Turkey has intensified operations against suspected IS militants throughout 2025 amid renewed global concerns over the group’s activities. Authorities have cited intelligence warnings of potential attacks during the Christmas and New Year period as a factor behind the recent raids.
The operation also follows reports of IS-inspired attacks abroad, including a deadly shooting at a Jewish event in Sydney earlier this month, as well as recent US military strikes against IS targets in Syria and Nigeria.
Read More: Turkish intelligence captures senior IS-K figure on Pak-Afghan border
Turkey has previously been targeted by IS, particularly between 2015 and 2017, when a series of bombings and gun attacks struck major cities, killing dozens. During the Syrian conflict, Turkey served as a key transit route for foreign fighters entering and leaving the region.
Since then, Turkish authorities have maintained sustained pressure on extremist networks, resulting in regular arrests and a significant reduction in attacks inside the country.