Turkey detains 282 suspects in a dayslong operation against Kurdish insurgents

[February 18, 2025]  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police have detained 282 suspects over the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.  

A picture of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of Turkey's banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, is displayed inside a shop in the northern Syrian city of Qamishli that is controlled by the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The suspects were detained across 51 of the country's 81 provinces, the minister said on the social media platform X.

Cumhuriyet newspaper and other media reported that those arrested include members of small, left-wing parties, an artist and at least three journalists.

The detentions came despite renewed efforts between Ankara and the PKK to resolve a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. These efforts are expected to include a call by the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for his group to lay down arms.

Yerlikaya said those detained are suspected of providing financial support to the PKK, recruiting members, engaging in propaganda and participating in violent street protests. Police also seized two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons during the raids, he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has widened a crackdown on the opposition in recent months, arresting journalists and politicians among others.

Several elected Kurdish mayors have been ousted from office for alleged links to the PKK and replaced with state appointed officials. The latest such dismissal was on Saturday, when the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Turkey was removed from his post and replaced with the state-appointed governor.

The PKK has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

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