Seven Turkish police wounded in clash with Islamic State militants, media says

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ISTANBUL, Dec 29 - Seven Turkish police officers were wounded during a clash with suspected Islamic State militants in Yalova province in northwest Turkey on Monday, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

It said police teams had launched an operation on a house believed to contain militants near the town of Yalova, on the Sea of Marmara coast, south of Istanbul.

The wounded police officers were not reported to be in a serious condition, it said.

Broadcaster NTV said the suspects had opened fire on the police as they launched the operation. Police special forces were sent to the area from Bursa province to provide support, it said.

Last week, Turkish police detained 115 suspected Islamic State members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country.

The Istanbul chief prosecutors office said at the time that the militants were planning attacks against non-Muslims in particular.

Almost a decade ago, the jihadist group was blamed for a series of attacks on civilian targets in Turkey, including a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub and on the citys main airport, that killed dozens of people. REUTERS