US Concerned by Clashes in Turkey After Sacking of Mayors Over PKK Links

The United States is concerned by reported clashes in southeastern Turkey following the government’s decision to sack some elected local officials from office on charges of supporting terrorism, the US embassy in Ankara said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Turkey’s Interior Ministry announced it had fired 28 provincial administrators and district governors for having links to Kurdish militia PKK and Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The ministry added that 12 officials had been arrested. Most of local authorities under scrutiny are in Turkey's southeast and dominated by the Kurdish minority.

"We are concerned by reports of clashes in Turkey’s Southeast… As Turkish authorities investigate allegations that some local officials have participated in or provided material support to terrorist groups, we note the importance of respect for judicial due process and individual rights, including the right of peaceful political expression, as enshrined in the Turkish Constitution," the embassy said in a statement.

A crackdown on public servants began in Turkey after the failed coup of July 15. Ankara blamed Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Islamic cleric and the president's former ally, for plotting the attempt to overthrow Recep Tayyip Erdogan.