Turkey detains nearly 300 suspects in nationwide operation on banned Kurdish group

Turkish authorities have detained 282 individuals over the past five days as part of a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday.

The nationwide raids took place across 51 provinces, with the suspects accused of financing the PKK, recruiting members, disseminating propaganda and engaging in violent street demonstrations, Yerlikaya said on X.

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency in the Mediterranean country for decades, is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.

This week’s action has taken place amid ongoing efforts to rekindle peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdish group, expected to include a potential call by the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, for disarmament.

During the raids, police confiscated two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons, the minister said.

Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration has ramped up efforts against alleged PKK-linked groups in recent months, detaining political representatives, among others.

Some elected Kurdish mayors have been removed from office over alleged PKK ties and replaced by government-appointed officials.

The latest dismissal occurred on Saturday, when authorities ousted the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Turkey, replacing him with a state-appointed governor.