Over 2,600 People Suspected of Terror Links Detained in Turkey Over Week

More than 2,600 people suspected of having links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Daesh, and US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding the last year attempted coup in Turkey, were detained by Turkish police last week, local media reported on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Police detained 2,331 people accused of Gulen links and 238 suspected PKK supporters, the Daily Sabah media outlet reported, citing the Turkish Interior Ministry. Over 40 people are said to have been detained during the anti-Daesh operations.

According to the Interior Ministry, 38 terrorists had been killed last week.

Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization. After the ceasefire between the parties broke down in 2015, Ankara started a military operation against the Kurdish militants. Turkey's Defense Minister Fikri Isik said in April that the government forces had killed 10,091 Kurdish militants since July 2016.

Gulen and his followers were accused by Ankara of organizing the 2016 coup attempt that claimed the lives of over 240 people and left some 2,000 more injured. Following the attempted coup, Turkish security forces have arrested thousands of people on suspicion of having ties to Gulen who has denied allegations of masterminding the government takeover.