Turkish Security Forces Kill Four and Arrest 21 Suspects in Al-Qaeda Crackdown
Note:
Even though the followin article states that 19 suspects were ‘detained,’ other news sources put the number of arrests ate 21.
‘Five die in raids on suspected Al-Qaida cells in Turkey’
25 Jan 2008 – The Times of India
ANKARA: Four suspected Al-Qaida militants and a policeman were killed on Thursday as security forces raided alleged cells of the extremist network in southeastern Turkey, officials said.
Anti-terror police launched simultaneous raids at several locations in Gaziantep province overnight on intelligence that Al-Qaida militants were planning “sensational attacks” in the region, the governor’s office said.
“Four members of the organisation were killed in a gunfight that erupted when they responded with fire to calls to surrender,” the statement said.
Police seized 13 guns, ammunition and more than 100 kilogrammes of chemicals used in making bombs, as well as printed Al-Qaeda material, it said. Nineteen people were detained and four policemen, meanwhile were hospitalised with injuries.
Anti-terror police units conducted raids on 18 locations in Gaziantep and neighbouring Kahramanmaras province, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Two of the dead, a 41-year-old man and his 28-year-old son, held out for about 12 hours before being killed in a gun battle in a house in the city of Gaziantep, the agency said.
Explosions were heard in the city as the police hurled tear gas grenades into the houses, it said. Turkish police arrested 30 alleged Al-Qaida members in countrywide operations earlier this month. A Turkish cell of Al-Qaida was blamed for truck bombs that targeted two synagogues in Istanbul on November 15, 2003 and the British consulate and a British bank five days later.
The attacks killed 63 people, injuring hundreds and causing huge material damage.
