عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
TT
TT

Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish police have detained 282 suspects in the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
The suspects were detained across 51 provinces, the minister said on the X social media platform.
The detentions came despite renewed efforts between Ankara and the PKK to resolve a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. These efforts are expected to include a call by the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for his group to lay down arms.
According to The Associated Press, Yerlikaya said those detained are suspected of providing financial support to the PKK, recruiting members, engaging in propaganda and participating in violent street protests.
Police seized two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons during the raids, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has widened a crackdown on the opposition in recent months, arresting journalists and politicians among others.
Several elected Kurdish mayors have been ousted from office and replaced with state appointed officials for alleged links to the PKK. The latest was on Saturday, when the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Türkiye was removed from his post and replaced with the state-appointed governor.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Netanyahu Says He Will Seek to Dismiss the Head of Israel’s Internal Security Service

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
TT
TT

Netanyahu Says He Will Seek to Dismiss the Head of Israel’s Internal Security Service

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday he will seek to dismiss the head of the country's internal security service this week, following a power struggle over the Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu said in a statement he has had “ongoing distrust” with Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and “this distrust has grown over time.”

The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian armed groups, and recently issued a report accepting responsibility for its failures around the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. But it also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government policies helped create the climate that led to it.

The tensions boiled over this weekend when Bar’s predecessor, Nadav Argaman, said he would release sensitive information about Netanyahu if it is found that the prime minister had broken the law. Netanyahu accused Argaman of blackmail and filed a police complaint.

The Shin Bet did not have an immediate response to Netanyahu's announcement.

Netanyahu has resisted calls for an official state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack and has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies. In recent months, a number of senior security officials, including a defense minister and army chief, have been fired or forced to step down.

Bar had been one of the few remaining senior security officials since the Oct. 7 attack to remain in office.

Netanyahu said removing Bar from his position would help Israel “achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster.” The prime minister is expected to appoint a loyalist in his place, slowing any momentum for the commission of inquiry.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a good-governance civil society group, called Netanyahu’s announcement a “declaration of war on the rule of law” and claimed that he does not have the authority to take the step against Bar because of investigations into his own office.

Netanyahu is also angry that the Shin Bet is investigating members of his staff for their dealings with Qatar. The Shin Bet, and Bar, have been closely involved with the hostage negotiations during the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu recently removed Bar from the negotiating team and replaced him with a loyalist, Cabinet minister Ron Dermer. Israeli media have reported on deep policy differences between the negotiators, who have pushed for a hostage deal, and Netanyahu, who continues to threaten to resume the war.