16 PKK/KCK suspects detained in Istanbul operations

By Ilyas Kacar & Halil Demir

ISTANBUL

Istanbul police launched an anti-terror operation against PKK/KCK suspects early Thursday, arresting 16 people, a security source said.

Police squads raided locations simultaneously in nine districts across the city, according to the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

During the operations, police apprehended 16 of 20 suspects sought, while also seizing a gun, cartridges, and organizational documents.

Turkey has been carrying out operations against the PKK and its affiliated groups inside and outside of the country over the past two years.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.