Turkish police clashed with suspected ISIS militants in the central province of Konya

Turkish police reportedly killed five suspected ISIS terrorists during a raid on their hideout in the Central province of Konya.

The operation was conducted by Turkish special police forces at a house in Konya’s Meram district early on Wednesday, Dogan reported.

It further noted that those killed were suspected of planning to attack events scheduled to be held this week to mark the first anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed military coup.

The putsch against the Ankara government, which left almost 250 people dead, was suppressed over the course of some two days. Ankara blamed Fethullah Gulen for masterminding the abortive coup, a charge denied by the US-based Turkish cleric.

Meanwhile, the Konya governor’s office said in a statement that during Wednesday’s operation, “the five terrorists were neutralized after they resisted armed force, and four security forces were lightly injured.”

The raid was launched as part of security measures to protect buildings along routes used by military vehicles and in search of a wanted ISIL element, the statement read.

A gunfight erupted after the terrorists resisted the police, it said, adding that five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol and ammunition were seized from the hideout.

Reports say police sealed off the area after the clashes and began searching approaching vehicles.

In recent years, ISIL militants have carried out gun and bomb attacks in Turkey.

ISIL has killed a total of 304 people in 14 major attacks in the country, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said in a report released on Tuesday.

Turkish officials says Ankara has detained over 5,000 ISIL suspects and deported about 3,290 foreign militants from 95 different countries in the past few years.

This is while the Turkish government has itself been accused of providing the militants with logistical support and safe passage into neighboring Syria.

Source: Farsnews