土耳其加强打击伊斯兰国

Turkey has intensified its crackdown on Islamic State-associated militants since the deadly New Year's Eve attack on Istanbul's Reina nightclub that was claimed by IS, according to officials and analysts.

Data gathered by a private Turkish firm says eight IS militants have been killed in Turkey this year, with nearly 500 others arrested and 525 convicted.

In addition, Turkey says its recently completed military operation in northern Syria, known as Euphrates Shield, killed 2,288 IS members since it began last August, including 750 this year.

In past years, Turkey came under blistering criticism for allowing IS militants from other countries to gain passage into neighboring Syria and Iraq and allowing IS sympathizers to gain havens in the southeast of the country.

Turkey has been targeted by IS militants several times including the Reina attack by an Uzbek gunman that took 39 lives and wounded many others.

As the threat from IS became clear, Turkey took on a larger role in the coalition campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq in mid-2015 and began a systematic crackdown internally.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, 74,000 foreigners who came to Turkey to enter Syria and join IS have been caught and expelled in the last two years.