Shootout Between Turkish Police And Islamic State Group Militants Leaves 9 Dead

Nine people were killed Monday in a shootout between Turkish police officers and Islamic State group militants in Diyarbakir city in southeastern Turkey, according to reports. The incident took place after police raided several houses where the militants were believed to be hiding.

Militants opened fire at the police, a security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The officials conducted the raid as they suspected the militants might have been involved in the Oct. 10 twin suicide bombings in the capital Ankara that claimed the lives of 102 people and injured at least 246.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said 12 militants were taken into police custody, the Associated Press reported. Seven militants and two police officers were killed in the firefight, while five other police officers were injured.

According to AFP, Turkish media reported that a massive police hunt was underway over the weekend for a suspected cell operated by the Islamic State group that included a German woman allegedly conspiring to carry out other attacks.

Turkish authorities have confirmed the identity of one of the two suicide bombers responsible for the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said last Monday. An investigation into the identity of the second bomber is ongoing, Davutoglu reportedly said on Turkey's AHaber TV, adding that 15 people were detained in connection with the attack, four of whom had been remanded to custody.