UPDATE - 26 terror suspects arrested in Türkiye

UPDATE WITH MORE ARRESTS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, BYLINE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Adsiz Gunebakan and Emrah Gokmen

GAZIANTEP / ISTANBUL, Türkiye (AA) - A total of 26 terror suspects were arrested in Türkiye on Friday.

Some 14 of them were nabbed in simultaneous operations conducted in nine provinces after prosecutors in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir issued arrest warrants for 15 suspects, including local officials of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) in Diyarbakir and Gaziantep, as part of an investigation into the PKK terror group.

Separately, 12 more terror suspects were arrested in Istanbul as part of operations targeting the PKK/KCK terror group’s youth branch.

Unlicensed pistols, 57 bullets, a large number of digital materials and banned publications were also seized.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.