Turkish police have detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish fighters in nationwide operations, according to state media.

Police conducted simultaneous raids in 37 different provinces and taken 834 people into custody, state-run Anadolu Agency quoted police forces as saying on Tuesday.

Anadolu said authorities received intelligence that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) would escalate attacks after February 15, the day marking the 1999 capture of imprisoned PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

Along with the suspects, two Kalashnikovs, 11 guns, 15 rifles and ammunition were seized, police said.

The operations come as Turks prepare to vote on April 16 on replacing the parliamentary system with the stronger presidency sought by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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The referendum will be held under a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup last July.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested since the abortive coup over suspected ties to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim leader and businessman accused by Ankara of organising the coup.

HDP reaction

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said the raids aimed to weaken it.

"The basic goal of these operations ... is to hold the referendum without the HDP," a statement from its executive committee said.

Its statement, released before Tuesday's arrests, said more than 300 of its members and executives had been detained on Monday, bringing those held this year to around 1,200.

A dozen of its MPs and tens of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial.

The government accuses the HDP, parliament's second biggest opposition party, of being a political extension of the PKK.

The HDP denies direct links with the PKK and says it wants a peaceful settlement in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast.

The PKK, designated a "terrorist" group by Turkey, the EU and the US, launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

A ceasefire between the PKK and the state broke down in July 2015 and thousands have been killed in the conflict since then.</s>ISTANBUL: Turkish police have detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in the past two days, a police source said on Tuesday, a crackdown the pro-Kurdish parliamentary party said was aimed at sidelining it ahead of a referendum.

Turks will vote on April 16 on replacing the parliamentary system with the stronger presidency sought by President Tayyip Erdogan.

The referendum will be held under a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup last July.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested since the abortive coup over suspected ties to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of organising the putsch.

Separately 5,000 members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been held, the party says.

Counter-terror police over the past two days detained 834 people suspected of ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in dawn raids across 37 provinces in Turkey, a statement from Istanbul police said.

The operations were launched because police believed the PKK leadership had instructed its militants to organise armed rebellions starting from Feb 15, the anniversary of the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in 1999.Along with the suspects, two Kalashnikovs, eleven guns, fifteen rifles and ammunition was seized, police said.

The HDP said the raids aimed to weaken it. "The basic goal of these operations is to hold the referendum without the HDP," a statement from its executive committee said. Its statement, released before Tuesday’s arrests, said more than 300 of its members and executives had been detained on Monday, bringing those held this year to around 1,200. A dozen of its lawmakers and tens of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial.

The government accuses the HDP, parliament’s second biggest opposition party, of being a political extension of the PKK. The HDP denies direct links with the PKK and says it wants a peaceful settlement in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast.

Turkey detains 800 over links to ‘Kurds’ was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on February 15, 2017 and was last updated on February 15, 2017. This news story is related to Print/186373-Turkey-detains-800-over-links-to-Kurds/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Turkey detains 800 over links to ‘Kurds’" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/186373-Turkey-detains-800-over-links-to-Kurds.</s>Turkish police have detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in the past two days, a police source said on Tuesday, a crackdown the pro-Kurdish parliamentary party said was aimed at sidelining it ahead of a referendum.

Turks will vote on April 16 on replacing the parliamentary system with the stronger presidency sought by President Tayyip Erdogan. The referendum will be held under a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup last July.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested since the abortive coup over suspected ties to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of organising the putsch. Separately 5,000 members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been held, the party says.

Counter-terror police over the past two days detained 834 people suspected of ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in dawn raids across 37 provinces in Turkey, a statement from Istanbul police said.

The operations were launched because police believed the PKK leadership had instructed its militants to organise armed rebellions starting from February 15, the anniversary of the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in 1999.

Along with the suspects, two Kalashnikovs, eleven guns, fifteen rifles and ammunition was seized, police said.

The HDP said the raids aimed to weaken it. “The basic goal of these operations … is to hold the referendum without the HDP,” a statement from its executive committee said.

Its statement, released before Tuesday’s arrests, said more than 300 of its members and executives had been detained on Monday, bringing those held this year to around 1,200. A dozen of its lawmakers and tens of Kurdish mayors from a sister party have been jailed pending trial.

The government accuses the HDP, parliament’s second biggest opposition party, of being a political extension of the PKK. The HDP denies direct links with the PKK and says it wants a peaceful settlement in Turkey’s largely Kurdish south-east.

The PKK designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, launched an armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

A ceasefire between the PKK and the state broke down in July 2015 and thousands have been killed in the conflict since then.

“We will never bow down faced with this persecution and pressure,” the HDP said. “What they are trying to prevent with the detentions and arrests is a ‘no’ (vote in the referendum).”

Ahead of the official launch of referendum campaigning this week, Erdogan has called for Turks to vote ‘yes’ to the reform by saying the PKK opposes it and that a ‘no’ vote means taking sides with those behind last year’s putsch.
Turkish police arrest over 800 people with alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).