Turkey detains some 50 Syria and Iraq-bound IS suspects

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, left, and co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party of Peoples Selahattin Demirtas pose for photographers before a meeting to discuss last week's explosions in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said authorities have detained 10 more suspects allegedly linked to the Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State, in connection with the blasts at a peace rally that killed 99 people. Davutoglu said Thursday the suspects were detained in the last two days. AP/Adem Altan, Pool

ANKARA, Turkey  — Turkey's state-run news agency says police have conducted pre-dawn raids on 17 locations in Istanbul and detained some 50 people suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group.

Anadolu Agency said those detained Sunday were all foreign nationals and planned to travel to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. It did not provide information on their nationalities but said they had arrived in Turkey recently and were being monitored.

Last week, two suicide bombings targeting a peace rally in the capital Ankara killed 102 people. Unconfirmed reports say the attacks were carried out by a Turkish cell of the IS group.

Under pressure from its allies, Turkey has been tightening security at its 910-kilometer (570-mile) long border with Syria to prevent IS militants crossing in and out of Syria.

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