Hundreds of PKK Militants and ISIS Activists Detained in Turkey

On the morning of July 24 a large-scale operation of law enforcement agencies began in 13 provinces of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, it is attended by about 5,000 police officers and soldiers of the special force. In the largest city of the country, members of the youth wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and members of radical left organizations have been detained, BBC reports.

Arrests of Kurdish and Islamic activists were also held in Ankara, Izmir, as well as in the areas bordering with Syria. According to preliminary data, 251 people were detained.

At the same time, Turkey for the first time took part in a military operation against militants of the Islamic State in Syria.

The F16 Turkish military aircraft attacked three targets on the territory of the neighboring country. At the same time, they destroyed two bases and the headquarters of the Islamists, the loss of which amounted to 35 people,

The Turkish Defense Ministry indicates that the aircraft fired a missile and did not violate the airspace of Syria.

Sources of BBC in Washington reported that US President Barack Obama reached an agreement with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on conducting joint operations against militants of the Islamic State. It is, in particular, on the use of the American base Incirlik in eastern Turkey.

One reason for the change in Turkey's foreign policy position would be an explosion in the city of Suruç on July 20. The attack carried out by a 20-year-old suicide bomber returning from Syria, killed 32 people. Turkish authorities said that the attack could be arranged by ISIS. -02D-