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Turkey detains mayor of Van over PKK links in anti-terror raid

Xinhua, November 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

The mayor of the southeastern Turkish city of Van Bekir Kaya was detained along with four other municipal officials on Thursday, reported the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Bekir Kaya, from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), has been accused of being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Kaya was among a number of figures from the DBP who were seized during the anti-terrorism operation against the PKK terrorist organization recently.

The DBP is the sister organization of the national opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Furthermore, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced that the DBP mayors of Mardin and Siirt, have been suspended from duty.

Tuncer Bakirhan, the DBP mayor of Siirt, was arrested and remanded in custody on Wednesday.

In Tunceli, the DBP mayor, Mehmet Ali Bul, was arrested on Wednesday as part of an anti-terrorism investigation.

Police searched his home and municipality office, then arrested him along with 13 others according to orders from the Tunceli Prosecutor's Office.

Those arrested have all been accused of being linked to the PKK terrorist organization, said the report.

In October, the DBP co-mayors from Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast, were arrested and jailed pending trial, charged with terrorism activity.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. Enditem