Turkish police have captured some 11 suspects linked to the PKK terrorist group in an operation in Istanbul, authorities said Thursday.
A person who ordered Syrian nationals to start and film wildfires in southern Türkiye in 2021 on behalf of the PKK was among the suspects, security sources said.
Police raided 13 locations across the city and seized digital materials.
The suspects had information and pictures from the time they served within the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.
All have been taken to the police station, sources noted.
Massive forest fires struck Türkiye in the summer of 2021, starting in the resort city of Antalya and spreading to 52 provinces in the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, Western Black Sea and southeastern Anatolia regions. The flames claimed at least eight lives and injured over 1,520 others.
Their almost consecutive nature raised concerns they might be the result of a string of arson attacks, namely by the PKK, whose de-facto leader Murat Karayılan previously hailed the method of using arson in terrorist attacks.
In October 2020, the PKK claimed an attack where four arsonists linked to the "Children of Fire Initiative" burned forestland in southern Hatay province.
The so-called "initiative" was responsible for many arsons in recent years, and it is known for its close ties to the PKK. It has claimed the environmental destruction they caused was a so-called act of revenge.
The group has turned to "environmental terrorism" much more frequently in recent years after focusing on such acts of attacks and sabotage in the 1990s and 2000s from time to time, according to a report by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).
The report, analyzing acts of "environmental terrorism" and the PKK’s forest fire sabotage, details how the terrorist organization has turned to forest fires to hurt Türkiye’s economy as it actively tried to scare away tourists while also trying to shift the blame onto the Turkish government.
The forest fires started by the PKK have been largely ignored by the international media, notes the report.
The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – is responsible for over 40,000 civilian and security personnel deaths in Türkiye during an almost four-decadelong campaign of terror.
Türkiye has been conducting military operations at home and across its border in northern Iraq and Syria, notably since 2015 with both ground and air forces, to battle the organization.
In the last few years, the operations intensifying in northern Iraq have demolished terrorist lairs in Metina, Avashin-Basyan, Zap and Gara. After eradicating the group’s influence in these regions, Türkiye also aims to clear Sinjar, Makhmour and Qandil, where the PKK has its stronghold. Ankara also battles the YPG in northern Syria, where they plot attacks on Turkish forces or the local populations.
The terrorists set fire to forests and farmland across these regions on several occasions as well.
1,802 terrorists eliminated
Türkiye has "neutralized" at least 1,802 PKK/YPG terrorists since the beginning of this year, including those hiding out across the border in Iraq and northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry said Thursday.
A total of 87 terrorists were targeted last week, a ministry official told reporters at a background briefing in the capital, Ankara.
Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
All necessary measures are being taken to maintain security and stability in operation zones, and terrorist attacks are being met with proportional responses, the official added.
Since January, 425 incidents and attacks have been carried out by the terrorist group in areas of Türkiye’s counterterrorism operations and 1,321 terrorists have been "neutralized" with the immediate response of Turkish soldiers, according to the official.
On illegal crossings into Türkiye, the official said thanks to additional effective measures, 10,974 people who tried to cross Türkiye’s borders illegally have been caught since Jan. 1, including 560 terrorists.
About 182,129 people were prevented before they crossed the border.
Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
The country, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, is taking new measures at its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
Humanitarian aid to Gaza
Asked about Türkiye’s humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has endured nearly four weeks of a relentless Israeli bombing campaign, a ministry source said: "The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are ready to undertake tasks in both humanitarian aid and evacuation in line with the directives given."
Stressing the experience of the TSK in both evacuation and medical support, the source said that the suitability of regional conditions is the most crucial factor in carrying out relief efforts.
Sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye
About efforts to finalize a sale of F-16 jets from the U.S. to Türkiye, the source said technical meetings by the delegations have been completed, and they are waiting for the completion of procedures in the U.S.
"We want this process to conclude positively and expeditiously as soon as possible. Again, we stress that this matter should not be subject to any conditions."
Türkiye has been seeking to purchase the latest generation of F-16 jets from the U.S. and upgrade kits for older F-16s, but some opposition in the U.S. Congress has slowed the process.
Some have also tried to tie the sales to other foreign policy issues, but Türkiye has rejected this.