3 Turkish police, six IS militants killed

ANKARA:

Three Turkish police were killed and nine other people wounded in an operation Monday against the Islamic State group in the northwest of the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

The fighting took place at Yalova on the Sea of Marmara during one of scores of raids against the militant group, the minister said, adding that six Islamic State members were killed.

"Three of our courageous police unfortunately lost their lives. Eight police and a security agent were also wounded," he added.

Yerlikaya said that "simultaneous operations" were staged on 108 addresses in 15 provinces, including at Yalova at 2:00 am (2300 GMT Sunday).

"During this operation, IS terrorists opened fire on our courageous police," he said.

According to the minister, the six IS operatives killed were all Turkish and five women and six children who were with them were all evacuated safely.

"We are pursuing our fight against bloodthirsty criminals who threaten the peace of our nation," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.