The Daesh terrorist network has conducted surveillance on around 26 key targets in 28 Turkish provinces in preparation for a series of strikes to bring terror, chaos and bloodshed throughout Turkey, according to a police report.
The police have discovered Daesh's plan to hit carefully selected targets, including a museum, church and municipal office, as well as offices of the intelligence service, or MIT. Included in the list was the Zeugma mosaic museum in the southeastern province of Gaziantep.
Police forces discovered Daesh's plan when some suspicious documents were confiscated during raids on the terror cells in Gaziantep province. These raids have been conducted as part of a retaliation campaign stepped up against Daesh following a string of deadly bombings which provoked fury in the public.
All findings have been explained in a police document which was released by Cyber Crimes Branch at Gaziantep police department. The Data Analysis Report was unfolded after Turkey launched a military operation against Daesh in northern Syria.
The operation, codenamed "Euphrates Shield" aims to secure territory along Turkey's border with Syria from the threat of Daesh. The data report has been also included to the main case file, related to deadly explosions, which struck Ankara's main train station during a peace rally in mid-October 2015.
According to the report, Daesh terrorists have designated three main targets in Gaziantep including a coffee bar and official and residential properties belonging to residents, said to be close to the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
Gaziantep-based Zeugma, known as the largest Roman mosaic museum in respect of its covering 1700m2 of mosaics, is an iconic target that police believe was to be hit by Daesh. A temporary office of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Gaziantep is among the potential targets in which police increased security to prevent any unrest.
During the raids, police found several pictures, belonging to potential targets, and documents showing entry and exit of these targets. According to confiscated documents, Daesh marked the location of municipal offices in provinces of Şırnak and Mardin on a map, believed to be potential targets.
Daesh members have obtained information about police departments, intelligence and military units in the eastern provinces of Malatya and Elazığ as well as two churches in Adıyaman in an attemp rising suspicious among local residents, the report has revealed.
Daesh have also conducted a zone reconnaissance work around touristy restaurant and coffees. The terror network have also obtained pictures of premises, belonging to public bodies across 1o provinces as well as buildings, owned the armed forces across 41 provinces and police organisation across in 22 provinces.
