Turkey: 9 suspected YPG/PKK terrorists arrested

KARS, Turkey

Nine suspected YPG/PKK terrorists were arrested on Tuesday in the metropolis of Istanbul as well as eastern Turkey, according to Turkish security sources.

The arrests came as part of an anti-terrorist probe by prosecutors in the eastern province of Kars, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects face charges of being members of the terrorist group YPG/PKK and spreading terrorist propaganda.

During the arrests, police seized three pistols and two shotguns, as well as cassettes and numerous digital materials belonging to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.