ANKARA: Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, announced the arrest of 176 individuals suspected of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as part of a comprehensive security operation spanning 31 provinces. The arrests highlight Turkey’s ongoing efforts to combat the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Yerlikaya shared details of the operation on social media, stating that the detained individuals were actively involved in the PKK’s youth cadres. They allegedly provided financial support, disseminated propaganda via social media platforms, and participated in unauthorized demonstrations, which included acts such as road blockades, tire burning, and the use of stones, firecrackers, and Molotov cocktails against state institutions and security forces.

The operations also led to the seizure of a significant cache of unlicensed weapons, rifles, drugs, organizational documents, and digital materials. Yerlikaya emphasized the
government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism, affirming that security forces would persist in their efforts to neutralize terrorists and ensure peace and security across Turkey.