Turkish police arrest 22 PKK/KCK suspects

By Hasan Namli

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security units have arrested 22 people for their alleged links to the PKK/KCK terror group, security sources said on Thursday.

As part of an investigation launched by prosecutors in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, anti-terror police carried out simultaneous operations and raided 36 locations in two provinces including Diyarbakir, said a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Without giving further details about the other province, the prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against the suspects for allegedly coordinating PKK members' internal and external affiliations from the prison, described as the so-called "jail set-up".

During the raids, the forces seized a semi-automatic rifle, 52 cartridges, a pistol, organizational documents, laptops and flash memory drives from the possession of the suspects.

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

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara