Five Dead After Turkish Raid on Suspected Al-qaida Cells

A police officer and four militants were killed today in raids on suspected al-Qaida hideouts in south-eastern Turkey.

Five police officers and a passerby were also wounded in the clash, which began when the gunmen fired on police in the southern city of Gaziantep, Turkish television stations reported.

Two of the suspects were killed after a shootout with police lasting more than 12 hours, the Dogan news agency said. Twenty other suspects were captured.

In a separate attack last night, a bomb caused damage but no injuries in the southern city of Adana, Anatolia reported.

Turkish police have been conducting raids across the country against suspected al-Qaida cells. In 2003 the group claimed responsibility for suicide bomb attacks against the British consulate, two synagogues and an HSBC bank in Istanbul that killed more than 60 people.

Last year, a court sentenced seven people to life in prison for the bombings.