Turkey arrests 100 ISIS operatives in sweeping nationwide raids
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:40 PM PT — Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Turkey is claiming it has arrested more than 100 militants affiliated with the Islamic State. Turkish police announced Wednesday that the ISIS-linked militants were arrested over the past few days in 26 raids across 21 provinces.
Officials said ISIS members were plotting terror attacks ahead of the 96th anniversary of the Turkish Republic this week. At least 20 foreign nationals with ties to ISIS were arrested in the capital of Ankara alone.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey is facing a tense security situation amid the ongoing Syrian conflict.
“Turkey has legitimate security concerns and is hosting more refugees than any other ally,” stated Stoltenberg. “We have recently seen some reduction in violence and we need to build on that.”
Turkey is ramping up security following the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was eliminated by U.S forces last week.
Officials have said the terror group may try to retaliate against all NATO allies. In a recent interview, former NATO Commander James Stavridis emphasized that ISIS could still make a comeback.
“Those embers are still on the ground and the potential for them to re-flash is actually quite high,” stated Stavridis. “The Islamic State is not just Baghdadi — it is an ideology and it is also a network.”
He went on to say ISIS has deep ties to other Islamic terror groups, including al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda. Stavridis claimed these organizations will continue trying to sow death and destruction across the Middle East and beyond.
https://www.oann.com/turkey-arrests-100-isis-operatives-in-sweeping-nationwide-raids/