Armed clash between Islamist terrorist cells (sponsored by Turkey) and Turkish police in the city of Yalova, Turkey. 9 dead, including police officers.
Nine people were killed and another nine were injured in an armed clash between Turkish police and Islamic State jihadists in the province of Gialova, south of Istanbul, on the coast of the Sea of Marmara.
Three police officers and six members of the organization were killed in the battle.
According to Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, police forces carried out an operation in a house against members of the Islamic State in Yalova at 2:00 am.
"During the operation, Islamic State terrorists opened fire. Unfortunately, as a result of the attack, three of our heroic police officers were killed. Eight police officers and one of our guards were injured during the attack. Due to the presence of women and children in the house where the terrorists were, the operation was carried out with great caution. The five women and six children who were in the address were removed unharmed. These terrorists are Turkish citizens. The operation was completed at 09:40," the Turkish minister said.
5 arrests
Turkey's Justice Minister, Yilmaz Tunc, announced that five people were arrested during the police operation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "we will continue our fight against the bloodthirsty murderers who threaten the peace of our nation and the security of our state, within and outside our borders, with determination, by all means and without compromise. I pray that God will rest the souls of our martyrs."
Operations against the Islamic State
Turkish security forces conducted operations against members of the Islamic State in 15 provinces of the country and in a total of 108 addresses.
In the last month, when the Turkish authorities' corresponding operations against the Islamic State organization have intensified, 137 people have been arrested, according to the Turkish Interior Minister, and restrictive measures have been imposed on another 97.
Turkish police arrested 110 suspects on Monday in an operation against Islamic State, a day after three police officers and six gunmen were killed in a shootout in northwestern Turkey, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said.
Police carried out an eight-hour siege on a residence in the city of Gialova, on the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul, a week after arresting more than 100 suspected Islamic State members allegedly linked to attack plans over Christmas and New Year.
Eight police officers and one member of the security forces were injured during the raid on the residence, which was one of more than 100 addresses targeted by authorities.
During the operation, police raided 114 addresses in Istanbul and two other provinces and arrested 110 of the total 115 suspects they were looking for, the prosecutor's statement said, adding that digital material and documents were seized.
Turkey has stepped up operations against suspected Islamic State members this year as the group regroups globally.
Last week, the US carried out a strike against militants in northwestern Nigeria, while two gunmen who carried out an attack during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Sydney's Bondi Beach last month appeared to have been inspired by the Islamic State, Australian police said.
On December 19, the US military struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on American personnel.
Nearly a decade ago, this jihadist organization was blamed for a series of attacks against civilians in Turkey, including armed attacks on a nightclub in Istanbul and the city's largest airport, killing dozens of people.
Turkey was a key transit point for foreign fighters, including those from the Islamic State, entering and exiting Syria during the war there.
The police carried out regular operations against the organization in the following years, and there were few attacks after the wave of violence between 2015-2017.
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