Turkish police killed five Islamic State group militants in a firefight that erupted during a raid on a house in the central city of Konya, officials said Wednesday. Four police officers were slightly wounded in the operation.
Eight other militants were detained in a series of other raids linked to the operation, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The Konya governor’s office said police carried out the raid on the house after a routine security check on residents of homes on a route frequently used by military units revealed that it was being rented by a militant wanted by police.
The governor’s office said a gun, five automatic rifles and a large amount of ammunition were seized in the raid.
Turkey has been hit by a series of deadly attacks carried out by IS or Kurdish militants and has stepped up anti-terrorism operations across the country.
IS claimed responsibility for a New Year’s mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.
