Turkish security forces on Thursday said they have arrested 20 foreign nationals with suspected links to the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, in the capital Ankara.

The simultaneous operation led by the counterterrorism units targeted 23 foreigners believed to be in contact with the armed terrorist organization, some of whom had taken part in clashes.

The authorities said they are still pursuing three suspects that fled during the citywide operation.

The suspects, classified as foreign terrorist fighters per intelligence reports, are to be delivered to the provincial directorate of migration to be deported to their homelands following questioning, the police added.

Thursday’s operation followed a similar raid in Istanbul, where police seized 16 suspects, guns and digital propaganda material.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist group in Türkiye, as well as in the European Union and the United States. Its bloody insurgency starting in the 1980s has left over 40,000 people dead in the country.

Members of the PKK/YPG and other organizations like Daesh rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye. In response, Ankara has been intensifying its crackdown on the terrorists and their links at home, conducting pinpoint operations and freezing assets to eliminate the roots of the terrorist groups.