Police today raided a house used by a suspected cell of the Islamic State group in southeastern Turkey, triggering a clash that killed seven militants and two policemen, an official said.
The two police officers were killed by booby-trap bombs during the operation launched against the IS cell in the city of Diyarbakir, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters seven militants were killed in the operation, while 12 others were detained. He said five other police officers were wounded during the raid, without providing further information.
It was not immediately clear if the operation was linked to two suicide bombings of a peace rally in the capital Ankara earlier this month that killed 102 people. One of the bombers was identified as a IS militant.
Officials from the Diyarbakir governor's office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Armoured police vehicles sealed off a road where police launched the raid, news agency Dogan's video footage showed. Heavy gunfire could be heard in the background.
