14 February 2018•Update: 16 February 2018
By Yilmaz Kazandioglu, Selahattin Ozbozkurt and Adsiz Gunebakan
ANKARA
A total of 73 people were arrested on Wednesday as part of raids targeting the PKK terror group across Turkey, according to a police source.
In southern Mersin province, 16 staff of Akdeniz district municipality were arrested for making PKK/KCK propaganda.
In Tarsus district, seven more people were arrested on the same charge.
Digital documents linked to the terrorist organization were also found during raids at suspects’ houses.
Twenty-four other suspects were also arrested in southeastern Gaziantep province in an operation supported by unmanned aerial vehicles, the provincial governor’s office said in a statement.
The suspects were accused of making terrorist propaganda on social media platforms, insulting the president and inciting people to join provocative demonstrations.
A number of ammunition and weapons along with some documents of terrorist organization were also seized during the operations.
Police also rounded up 24 suspects in Izmir, seven in Canakkale, two in Sinop provinces for allegedly spreading propaganda against Operation Olive Branch on social media.
Turkey on Jan. 20 launched Operation Olive Branch to remove PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.
In southeastern Hakkari province, nine people were arrested on charges of providing financial support to PKK/KCK.
Also in Hakkari, a PKK terrorist surrendered to Turkish security forces, according to the provincial governor’s office.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU. In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people, including women and children have been killed.
