JAKARTA - Turkish police have detained 282 suspects suspected of having ties to the militant group of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects detained included journalists, politicians, and academics.
The raids that occurred in the past five days came as Turkey continued to fire the elected mayor who was pro-Kurdish from their posts due to ties to militants.
The detained PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, is expected to make a statement on the effort four months after President Tayyip Erdogan's ally urged him to ask the militants to lay down their weapons.
The Turkish Journalists Association condemned the detention of three journalists.
"We did not accept them being detained by house raids instead of being summoned to the police station," the union said in a statement on social media.
Those detained include members of the Democratic People's Congress (HDK), as well as smaller left-wing parties, academics and a leading LGBTQ rights activist.
Police carried out counter-terror attacks in 51 provinces, including the capital Ankara and the largest city, Istanbul. Yerlikaya said the suspects were accused of carrying out PKK propaganda, providing funding for the group, recruiting members, and joining street protests.
Police confiscated two AK-47 rifles and other weapons.
On Saturday last week, Turkey removed the mayor of the DEM Party who was pro-Kurdish from his position in eastern Van province for terrorism-related charges.
The total number of DEM mayors who have been dismissed has been eight since the 2024 election.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged an uprising against the country since 1984, in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.
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