Turkish police nab 20 Islamic State suspects in Antalya
Bust of jihadist ring comes days before world leaders are set to meet in Mediterranean resort town for G20 summit
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Turkish police have detained 20 Islamic State suspects in Antalya ahead of the G20 summit being attended by world leaders in the Mediterranean holiday resort next week, the private Dogan news agency reported Friday.
Turkey has been on the hunt for IS extremists since the twin bombings on a peace rally in Ankara on October 10 that killed 102 people and wounded around 500, the worst such attack in the country’s history.
US President Barack Obama is among G20 leaders who will be at the summit in Antalya on November 15-16 where the war in Syria is certain to be high on the agenda.
Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said this week that Ankara was planning further military action against the jihadists, without saying how or where.
“We have plans to act militarily against them in the coming days,” he said on Wednesday in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, describing the IS group as a “clear and present threat”.
Long criticized by its Western allies for not doing enough to stem the rise of the extremist jihadist group, Turkey first launched air strikes against IS targets in Syria after a deadly bombing on a border town in July.
But most of the firepower was concentrated on Kurdish fighters based in northern Iraq, rupturing a 2013 truce between Ankara and the rebels.
Police have also rounded up dozens of IS suspects in recent weeks in raids across the country.
The Times of Israel Community.