ANKARA: On Tuesday, Turkish police conducted a series of detentions across the country, apprehending at least 67 individuals suspected of having links to Kurdish militants.
This operation occurred shortly after a suicide bomb attack in the Turkish capital. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that raids were conducted in 16 Turkish provinces, resulting in the detention of 55 individuals believed to be connected to the “intelligence structure” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Additionally, in a separate operation across five provinces, 12 other suspected PKK members were apprehended.
The PKK has been involved in a protracted insurgency in Turkiye and is officially designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union. The conflict, which began in 1984, has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals.
The suicide bombing incident occurred on a Sunday, with a bomber detonating an explosive device near an entrance to the Interior Ministry shortly before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to address Parliament upon its return from summer recess.
A second would-be bomber was killed during a confrontation with the police. Two police officers sustained minor injuries during the attack. The suspects had seized a vehicle from a veterinarian in Kayseri, central Turkey, after shooting him in the head.
The PKK claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a news outlet affiliated with the group, while Turkish authorities identified one of the assailants as a PKK militant. Following the attack, Turkiye’s Air Force carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq, where the PKK’s leadership is believed to be based. The Defence Ministry reported that a significant number of PKK militants were “neutralized” in these airstrikes.
It remains unclear whether the individuals detained on Tuesday were directly involved in the Sunday attack, and Interior Minister Yerlikaya did not provide specific details regarding their alleged roles in the incident.
