Turkey: 3 mayors dismissed over alleged terror links

By Orhan Onur Gemici, Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish Interior Ministry on Monday dismissed three mayors in eastern Turkey for supporting terrorism.

According to an official statement by the ministry, the mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces -- Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Turk and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, respectivelhave been suspended.

It added that the mayors already had active cases against them in which they were accused of crimes such as establishing or spreading propaganda for a terror group or else just being being a member

All mayors are from opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party Turkey's government has accused of having links to the PKK terror group.

The state-appointed governors of the provinces will temporarily replace dismissed mayors.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.