The latest swoop took place in the central city of Konya, just days after Turkish police launched a series of operations against the evil jihadi group.
Advertisement
Turkey has faced a wave of terror attacks since July that have resulted in numerous clashes between Turkish security sources and the PKK terrorists, especially the southeast. He said the Turkish military attacked the Kurdish force west of the Euphrates river, while the YPG said the attack was in Tal Abyad, which is east of the river.
Five police officers were wounded while 12 Islamic State militants were captured alive, Mr Kurtulmus said. “We said that Turkey’s borders may not be breached”, said Davutoglu.
The fighting lasted for at least two hours, an AFP journalist at the scene said, with police fearing other militants could be holed up in the area.
The authorities have declared ISIL is the number one suspect over the Ankara bombings, the deadliest attack in the history of modern Turkey.
The prime minister’s remarks came as a response to allegations in the media that said “Russia, the US and Iran are seeking a solution for the conflict in Syria, but not Turkey”.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State group is also continuing assaults on western and southern villages in Syria’s Kobani canton, including four heavy attacks with mortar fire on civilians Sunday night and Monday morning in which two civilians were reportedly injured.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Monday accused the Democratic Union Party (PYD) – the political arm of the YPG – of trying to create a “de facto situation” in northern Syria on the pretext of fighting the IS group. Radikal had been publishing reports about the Alagoz bombers since 2013 and in the aftermath of the Suruc bombing had warned that the surviving brother could launch another attack shortly.
Advertisement
“Senior names from Islamic State’s Turkish unit were killed in the operation”, a security official told Reuters.
