Turkey detains 20 Ankara bomb attack suspects

“We will not forgive any traitor who draws guns on our heroic security forces,” Yerlikaya wrote.

Kurdistan 24 2023/10/02 18:30

Members of Turkish Police Special Forces secure the area near the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, Oct. 1, 2023. (Photo: Adem Altan/ AFP)

Turkey Ankara bomb attack PKK Ali Yerlikaya Turkish Interior Ministry

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Monday that 20 people were detained during operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in various provinces throughout the country.

Simultaneous search and seizure operations were launched in Istanbul and Kirklareli in the northwest, while in the southeast, the provinces of Bitlis, Van, Hakkari, and Diyarbakir were also targeted.

“We will not forgive any traitor who draws guns on our heroic security forces,” Yerlikaya wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Infantry rifles, hand grenades, IEDs, gun ammunition, and other military paraphernalia were seized in the search operations, according to the minister.

“The operations we launched against the treacherous terrorist organization will continue,” Yerlikaya added.

Turkish warplanes bombed several PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region on Sunday following the Ankara bomb attack.

Previously on Sunday, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced that an explosion targeted Turkey's Ministry of Interior in the Turkish capital Ankara, resulting in two injuries among security forces.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK has been ongoing since the mid-1980s, with the PKK fighting for greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkey. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of about 55,000 people.

The PKK has been designated as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government, the United States, the European Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), among various other countries and entities.