Turkiye arrests 282 suspects in raids targeting PKK
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The raids spanned 51 provinces across Turkiye, including Ankara and Istanbul.
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Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya talks to journalists in Ankara, on Sunday, October 1, 2023. (AP)
Turkish police have arrested 282 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) armed group in raids over the past five days, according to a statement by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Tuesday.
The raids are part of Turkiye's efforts to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts over ties with the PKK in a crackdown that's aiming towards ending the 40-year-long conflict between the Kurdish party and authorities.
The raids spanned 51 provinces including Turkiye's capital, Ankara, and the largest city in the country Istanbul, with the suspects accused of conducting PKK propaganda, financing the armed group, recruiting members, and joining in street protests.
51 ilde PKK/KCK’ya yönelik son 5 gündür devam eden “GÜRZ-46” operasyonlarında; 282 şüpheli terör örgütü mensubu yakalandı❗
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 18, 2025
"Terörsüz Türkiye" hedefimize ulaşmak ve milletimizin huzurunu, birlik ve beraberliğini sağlamak için terörün her türlüsünü bu topraklardan kazıyıp atmaya… pic.twitter.com/o84GMGDgZW
Turkiye's efforts against PKK
Turkiye's crackdown comes as signs show that the country may be moving towards wrapping up its conflict with the PKK, a group Turkiye recognizes as a "terrorist organization."
Turkish President Erdogan said, "There is no place for the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK and its extensions, nor for ISIS, in the future of the region," during a December 2024 joint press conference with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Turkish intelligence has been reported to be holding talks with the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in prison, demanding members of his party to lay down arms, resolve their legal status with the Turkish state, or withdraw to the Qandil mountain, according to an Al Mayadeen source.
The source said the negotiations between Ankara and the PKK were positive, emphasizing that there is "significant agreement on several issues with Ocalan," while adding that "the negotiations require time and proceed through multiple stages."
The jailed PKK leader previously hinted at a possible willingness to disarm his party in December of 2024 after meeting two parliamentarians from the pro-Kurdish DEM party in a first-of-its-kind meeting to resolve the conflict between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
