Turkish Police Arrest 5 Alleged PKK Supporters, Seize Explosives - Reports

As a result of a counter-terrorist operation in southern Turkey a total of five suspected supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were arrested, with about 88 pounds of explosives seized, local media reported Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) As a result of a counter-terrorist operation in southern Turkey a total of five suspected supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were arrested, with about 88 Pounds of explosives seized, local media reported Thursday.

The operation was carried out in the district of Nusaybin in the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin, the Anadolu agency reported citing an unnamed source.

The PKK is officially listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. The Turkish government has been fighting the PKK, which seeks to establish a Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, since the early 1980s. The PKK and Ankara agreed on a ceasefire in 2013, but it collapsed just two years later after several terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK militants.

Turkish security forces carry out regular anti-PKK raids across the country. In late May, Ankara launched Operation Claw targeting PKK militants in northern Iraq.