Turkish police have detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry announcement on Twitter followed its earlier statement that the mayors of three major southeastern cities had been replaced by state officials in terrorism-related investigations.

The pro-Kurdish party mayors of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin were replaced on Monday, and state governors were appointed in their place.

The mayors were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda, Reuters said. </s> Turkish police walk in front of the Metropolitan Municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry announcement, made on Twitter, followed its earlier announcement that the mayors of three major southeastern cities had been replaced by state officials in terrorism-related investigations. </s> ANKARA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua/GNA) - Turkey's Interior Ministry on Monday dismissed three mayors of the opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP) in eastern and southeastern Turkey over alleged terror links.

Turkish police have also detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), said the ministry.

The mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces, namely Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Turk and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, have been suspended, a statement from the ministry said.

The mayors have been replaced by state-appointed governors.

The police have been carrying out an operation in the municipalities, local media reported.

The Turkish government accuses the opposition HDP of having links to the PKK, a group that was listed as a terrorist organization by Turkish government, the United States and the EU.

The ministry said the PKK exerted heavy efforts to nominate candidates "who would be easily led once they would be elected and would be under its guidance and orientation."

These mayors were elected on March 31 in local elections.

"Once the Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van Provinces had taken their offices, it was highlighted that they exerted the so-called 'co-mayor' practice upon the instructions of the leaders of the separatist terrorist organization," said the ministry.

The mayors "intended to convert the municipalities into an administrative structure separate from the whole country, they de facto employed the former municipal employees, who had been removed from their offices due to their engagement, affiliation and relation with the terrorist organization," said the statement.

Concerning the ongoing separate investigations and prosecutions on these mayors over alleged terror links, the ministry said that they have been suspended from their duties as an interim precaution for safety and security concerns.

The move is part of the efforts by the Turkish government, which has recently intensified its fight against the PKK in the military level both in Turkey and in northern Iraq. </s> DIYARBAKIR: Turkey replaced pro-Kurdish party mayors with state officials in three southeastern cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links on Monday, the Interior Ministry said, in a move likely to fuel tensions in Turkey’s southeast.

Ahead of nationwide local elections in March, President Tayyip Erdogan had warned of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have connections to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The mayors in Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, major cities in the mainly Kurdish southeast, were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organisation and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry statement said.

“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” it said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.

CNN Turk showed police sealing off the municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir with metal barriers, with water cannon vehicles and riot police deployed outside.

The Interior Ministry said on Twitter that police detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the PKK militant group.

The removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.

Ahead of the March election Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 178 current election candidates were being investigated over alleged PKK links.

Erdogan at the time warned that pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, are deemed to have ties to militants.

Erdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and United States. The HDP denies such links.

The PKK launched an insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. </s> DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey on Monday replaced Kurdish mayors with state officials in three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links, the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

The ministry also said it had launched an operation with some 2,300 commandos against militant fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern provinces.

The mayors of three major southeastern cities - Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van - are accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry said in a statement.

Riot police fired water cannon on small groups of people protesting against the mayors’ dismissal in central Diyarbakir, where police sealed off the municipality headquarters with metal barriers, Reuters TV video showed.

President Tayyip Erdogan had warned ahead of local elections in March of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have had connections to the PKK.

“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” the ministry said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.

Police detained 418 people in 29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to the PKK, the ministry added.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had been dismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.

“This is a new and clear political coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.

It said the three mayors had been elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March and called for support from other political parties.

“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people. It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” it added.

Veli Agbaba, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that the dismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, while Istanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.

“Negating the will of the people is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed from office over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election, but won a re-run election in June.

More unusually, Turkey’s former president Abdullah Gul and ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, once allies of Erdogan from his AK Party who have emerged as potential political opponents, said on Twitter the dismissals were out of line with democracy.

The removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.

Erdogan warned before the March elections that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.

Erdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The Interior Ministry said recent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest level in 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 from around 1,800-2,000 in the past.

Announcing the new operation against PKK militants, launched on Sunday in the provinces of Van, Sirnak and Hakkari, the ministry published images showing security forces firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

The security forces destroyed 43 caves and shelters used by the PKK, the ministry said, adding that operations would continue until all militants in the areas were “neutralized”. </s> ISTANBUL: Turkish police have detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in the past two days, a police source said on Tuesday, a crackdown the pro-Kurdish parliamentary party said was aimed at sidelining it ahead of a referendum.

Turks will vote on April 16 on replacing the parliamentary system with the stronger presidency sought by President Tayyip Erdogan.

The referendum will be held under a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup last July.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested since the abortive coup over suspected ties to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of organising the putsch.

Separately 5,000 members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been held, the party says.

Counter-terror police over the past two days detained 834 people suspected of ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in dawn raids across 37 provinces in Turkey, a statement from Istanbul police said.

The operations were launched because police believed the PKK leadership had instructed its militants to organise armed rebellions starting from Feb 15, the anniversary of the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in 1999.Along with the suspects, two Kalashnikovs, eleven guns, fifteen rifles and ammunition was seized, police said.

The HDP said the raids aimed to weaken it. "The basic goal of these operations is to hold the referendum without the HDP," a statement from its executive committee said. Its statement, released before Tuesday’s arrests, said more than 300 of its members and executives had been detained on Monday, bringing those held this year to around 1,200. A dozen of its lawmakers and tens of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial.

The government accuses the HDP, parliament’s second biggest opposition party, of being a political extension of the PKK. The HDP denies direct links with the PKK and says it wants a peaceful settlement in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast.

Turkey detains 800 over links to ‘Kurds’ was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on February 15, 2017 and was last updated on February 15, 2017. This news story is related to Print/186373-Turkey-detains-800-over-links-to-Kurds/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Turkey detains 800 over links to ‘Kurds’" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/186373-Turkey-detains-800-over-links-to-Kurds. </s> Turkey on Monday replaced mayors from a pro-Kurdish party with state officials in three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links, the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

President Tayyip Erdogan had warned ahead of nationwide local elections in March of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have had connections to the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The mayors in Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, major cities in the mainly Kurdish southeast, were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organisation and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry statement said.

“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” it said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.

CNN Turk showed police sealing off the municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir with metal barriers, as riot police deployed outside along with water cannon vehicles.

The Interior Ministry said the PKK had been seeking to exploit the March elections to boost its support and had exerted efforts to nominate candidates who would be easily led once elected.

Police detained 418 people in 29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to the outlawed PKK group, the ministry added.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had been dismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.

“This is a new and clear political coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.

It said the three mayors had been elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March and called for support from other political parties.

“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people. It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” it added.

Veli Agbaba, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that the dismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, while Istanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.

“Negating the will of the people is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed from office over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election, but won a re-run election in June.

The removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.

Ahead of the March election Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu had said 178 candidates were being investigated over alleged PKK links.

Erdogan at the time warned that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.

Erdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The Interior Ministry said recent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest level in 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 from around 1,800-2,000 in the past. </s> (Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-Turkey on Monday replaced Kurdish mayors with state officialsin three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links,the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainlyKurdish southeast.The ministry also said it had launched an operation with some2,300 commandos against militant fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan WorkersParty (PKK) in southeastern provinces.The mayors of three majorsoutheastern cities - Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van - are accused of various crimesincluding membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist grouppropaganda, the ministry said in a statement.Riot police fired water cannon on small groups of peopleprotesting against the mayors’ dismissal in central Diyarbakir, where policesealed off the municipality headquarters with metal barriers, Reuters TV videoshowed.President Tayyip Erdogan hadwarned ahead of local elections in March of such a move against electedofficials if they were found to have had connections to the PKK.“For the health of theinvestigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as aprecaution,” the ministry said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli,Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.Police detained 418 people in29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to thePKK, the ministry added.The pro-Kurdish Peoples’Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had beendismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.“This is a new and clearpolitical coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will ofthe Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.It said the three mayors hadbeen elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March andcalled for support from other political parties.“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people.It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” itadded.Main Opposition Slams DismissalsVeli Agbaba, deputy leader ofthe main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that thedismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, whileIstanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.“Negating the will of thepeople is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed fromoffice over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election,but won a re-run election in June.More unusually, Turkey’sformer president Abdullah Gul and ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, onceallies of Erdogan from his AK Party who have emerged as potential politicalopponents, said on Twitter the dismissals were out of line with democracy.The removal of the mayorsechoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, partof a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands ofparty members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern fromthe United States and European Union.Erdogan warned before theMarch elections that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like theirpredecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.Erdogan frequently accusesthe HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey,the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.The Interior Ministry saidrecent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest levelin 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 fromaround 1,800-2,000 in the past.Announcing the new operationagainst PKK militants, launched on Sunday in the provinces of Van, Sirnak andHakkari, the ministry published images showing security forces firing machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades.The security forces destroyed43 caves and shelters used by the PKK, the ministry said, adding thatoperations would continue until all militants in the areas were “neutralized”. </s> Turkish police have detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in the past two days, a police source said on Tuesday, a crackdown the pro-Kurdish parliamentary party said was aimed at sidelining it ahead of a referendum.

Turks will vote on April 16 on replacing the parliamentary system with the stronger presidency sought by President Tayyip Erdogan. The referendum will be held under a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup last July.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested since the abortive coup over suspected ties to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of organising the putsch. Separately 5,000 members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been held, the party says.

Counter-terror police over the past two days detained 834 people suspected of ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in dawn raids across 37 provinces in Turkey, a statement from Istanbul police said.

The operations were launched because police believed the PKK leadership had instructed its militants to organise armed rebellions starting from February 15, the anniversary of the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in 1999.

Along with the suspects, two Kalashnikovs, eleven guns, fifteen rifles and ammunition was seized, police said.

The HDP said the raids aimed to weaken it. “The basic goal of these operations … is to hold the referendum without the HDP,” a statement from its executive committee said.

Its statement, released before Tuesday’s arrests, said more than 300 of its members and executives had been detained on Monday, bringing those held this year to around 1,200. A dozen of its lawmakers and tens of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial.

The government accuses the HDP, parliament’s second biggest opposition party, of being a political extension of the PKK. The HDP denies direct links with the PKK and says it wants a peaceful settlement in Turkey’s largely Kurdish south-east.

The PKK designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, launched an armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

A ceasefire between the PKK and the state broke down in July 2015 and thousands have been killed in the conflict since then.

“We will never bow down faced with this persecution and pressure,” the HDP said. “What they are trying to prevent with the detentions and arrests is a ‘no’ (vote in the referendum).”

Ahead of the official launch of referendum campaigning this week, Erdogan has called for Turks to vote ‘yes’ to the reform by saying the PKK opposes it and that a ‘no’ vote means taking sides with those behind last year’s putsch.
Turkey's Ministry of the Interior tweets that 418 people in 29 provinces are detained by police, for suspected links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The authorities have also announced that they "replaced" the mayors of three major southeastern cities.