This photograph shows wounded people arriving at the hospital in Yalova after Turkish police launched an operation on a house suspected of sheltering alleged members of the Islamic State. AFP
The fighting took place at Yalova on the Sea of Marmara during one of scores of raids against the militant group, the minister said, adding that six Islamic State members were killed.
"Three of our courageous police unfortunately lost their lives. Eight police and a security agent were also wounded," he added.
Yerlikaya said that "simultaneous operations" were staged on 108 addresses in 15 provinces, including at Yalova at 2:00 am (2300 GMT Sunday).
"During this operation, IS terrorists opened fire on our courageous police," he said.
According to the minister, the six IS operatives killed were all Turkish and five women and six children who were with them were all evacuated safely.
"We are pursuing our fight against bloodthirsty criminals who threaten the peace of our nation and the security of our state, both inside and outside our borders, in a determined, multi-pronged and intractable fashion," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, as he paid homage to the killed officers.
An Istanbul prosecutor last week ordered the detention of 137 suspected IS members following information that the group planned attacks during the end-of-year holidays.
Turkey has a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Syria and is wary of cross-frontier infiltrations by militants.
IS was recently accused of killing two American soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra in Syria.
Turkish intelligence also announced last week the arrest, "between Afghanistan and Pakistan," of a suspected IS leader who was said to be planning suicide attacks in the region and Europe.
Short link: