Turkey Arrests 21 ISIS Members

Turkish security officials have arrested more than 20 people accused of supporting the Islamic State in one of the largest such security operations that have taken place since the group took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.

The New York Times reports that 21 people were arrested in the commercial capital of Istanbul and in the border province of Sanliurfa. Three of the arrested were said to be foreigners while another two were supposed recruiters for ISIS that were known to have influenced a number of Turks to join the organization.

Throughout the raids, police found automatic weapons, military uniforms, and a number of explosives. Despite being a member of NATO, Turkey very rarely carries out such raids against Islamist militants within its borders, and has been accused of supporting such groups by members of the police, and even members of parliament.

Foreign governments in the West such as the United States and its European allies have long demanded that Turkey take a more aggressive posture against the groups, which use the long Turkish border with Iraq and Syria to funnel troops and supplies to their forces on the front lines.

It is unclear if the arrests are a one-off or part of a broader push to contain groups like ISIS. A resident of a neighborhood in the capital of Ankara told the Times that two recruiters who were arrested recently were set free by the government just a day later.

In addition to facts like this, the government has actually brought charges against officers who stopped weapons shipments from entering Syria, suggesting that the government's support for such radical groups is more active than simply turning a blind eye to the problem.