A prolonged firefight between Turkish security forces and suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in a residential area resulted in nine fatalities, including three police officers and six alleged terrorists, according to an official statement from Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The operation, characterized as part of Turkey’s sustained counterterrorism campaign, unfolded early Monday morning.
Police units initiated a targeted raid on a residence intelligence indicated was harboring IS fighters. The situation escalated violently when the occupants opened fire on the approaching officers, leading to an intense exchange of gunfire that persisted for nearly eight hours, as confirmed by a Reuters eyewitness. The confrontation also left at least eight police officers and one security guard wounded.
In a humanitarian intervention amidst the violence, authorities successfully evacuated five women and six children from the besieged property.
This deadly incident is the latest in a series of security operations. Just days prior, on Christmas Day, Turkish authorities detained 115 individuals across Istanbul in a sweeping crackdown on a suspected IS cell allegedly plotting attacks against New Year’s celebrations. Those raids, spanning 124 locations, yielded firearms, ammunition, and purported organizational documents, with arrests focusing on individuals accused of financing IS activities and disseminating its propaganda.
Turkey’s protracted struggle against the Islamic State, designated a terrorist organization in 2013, is deeply influenced by its extensive border with Syria, where the group retains a presence. This geographical reality has positioned Turkey as a primary target for IS operations, a vulnerability tragically highlighted by a 2017 New Year’s Eve attack in Istanbul that killed 39 people. Official Turkish statistics report approximately 19,000 arrests for alleged IS affiliations over the past decade.
The regional counterterrorism landscape has seen heightened activity. Recent Turkish operations occurred shortly after U.S. forces executed extensive airstrikes on IS targets in Syria, a retaliatory measure for the killing of two American soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra on December 13th. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa endorsed the U.S. response. The new Syrian government has pledged cooperation with U.S. and European allies to combat remaining IS elements. Despite the group’s military defeat and the collapse of its so-called caliphate, remnants persist, attempting to destabilize the post-Assad administration. In a parallel development, Syria’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of a prominent IS figure on Wednesday, followed by a raid near Damascus the next day that resulted in the death of a senior IS commander.