At least 38 PKK terror suspects arrested across Turkey

ANKARA

Turkish security forces arrested 38 people over their alleged links to the PKK terror group, officials said on Friday.

Some 13 of the suspects were arrested when police conducted raids at different addresses in the northwestern Kocaeli province.

Organizational documents and digital materials related to the terror group were seized in the operation.

Also, commando teams of Turkish gendarmerie forces in the southern Osmaniye province seized a cache of ammunition belonging to the PKK terror group in a shelter in Mt. Amanos.

Meanwhile, provincial gendarmerie forces in the southeastern Mardin province seized arms, ammunition, explosive materials, and life-sustaining materials belonging to the terror group in 12 shelters.

Some of the items were taken into custody as evidence and others were destroyed, while shelters used by the terror group were made unusable.

Separately, anti-terror police teams arrested five PKK/KCK terror suspects in the northeastern Kars province and in the eastern Igdir province, for "being a member of a terrorist organization" and "making terror organization propaganda."

The suspects included the head of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) provincial office in Kars, as well as senior local officials of the party in both provinces.

Efforts are underway to capture one more suspect who is an official at the HDP provincial office administration in Kars.

The Turkish government accuses HDP of having links to the YPG/PKK terror group.

Also, anti-terror police teams in simultaneous operations conducted in 10 provinces rounded up 17 suspects linked to the PKK terror group, according to security sources.

In another operation against the PKK/KCK in southern Mersin province, three suspects were detained, security sources added.

It was stated that the suspects were preparing an action to support PKK defendants and commemorate terrorists neutralized by the Turkish security forces.

The suspects were determined to be active in a terrorist group in Syria, and were caught with digital materials in their residences by provincial gendarmerie teams.

The three suspects were being interrogated.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev and Dilara Hamit in Ankara