Official says 6 Islamic State militants, 3 police officers killed in clash in northwest Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Islamic State militants clashed with police in northwest Turkey on Monday, leaving three police officers and six militants dead, Turkey’s interior minister said. At least eight other police officers and a night guard were wounded.

The shooting occurred in Elmali district in Yalova province, south of Istanbul, as police stormed a house where the militants were hiding.

Special forces from neighboring Bursa province were dispatched to reinforce the operation.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the operation in Yalova was one out of more than a hundred simultaneous raids carried out against IS suspects in 15 provinces across the country.

The operation in Yalova was carried out with “great care” because women and children were inside the house where the militants were located, Yerlikaya said. All five women and six children were safely evacuated from the house, he said.

All of the militants were Turkish nationals, the minister told reporters.

The operation began at around 2 a.m. local time and was officially completed at 9:40 a.m, he added.

Meanwhile, the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation, assigning five prosecutors to lead the probe, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on the X social media platform.

He said five people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation, without providing further information on the suspects.

As the confrontation spread into the streets, five schools in the area were closed for the day, private news channel NTV reported earlier.

Authorities also cut off natural gas and electricity supplies as a precaution while civilians and vehicles were barred from entering the neighborhood, the report said.

Last week, police launched scores of simultaneous raids, detaining 115 militants of the extremist group who were allegedly planning attacks targeting Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Officials said the group had called for action, particularly against non-Muslims, during the celebrations.

IS has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Turkey in recent years, including a shooting at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year celebrations on Jan. 1, 2017, which killed 39 people.