Turkey: Security forces arrest suspected militants in Mardin province October 31

Event

Turkish security forces arrested five suspected Kurdish militants and confiscated 250 kg (550 lbs) of explosives in a security operation in Mardin province late (local time) on Wednesday, October 31. Similar operations are possible in Mardin province and elsewhere in southeastern Turkey in the near term.

Context

Turkey has been faced with a Kurdish insurgency since 1984, spearheaded by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and concentrated in the southeast, demanding increased autonomy and an end to the oppression of Kurdish groups within the country. The armed conflict resumed in 2015 following the dissolution of a ceasefire established between the government and the PKK in 2013. The conflict has left over 40,000 people dead since 1984 and associated violence continues to pose a significant security risk in southeastern Turkey.

Tensions between the Turkish state and Kurdish populations have intensified further since the launch of Operation Olive Branch, a Turkish offensive against Kurdish groups in Syria, in January 2018. The operation succeeded in pushing the predominantly-Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the Afrin area of Syria in March.

Advice

Due to the ongoing conflict between the Turkish government and the PKK, some Western governments advise against travel to various southeastern areas, notably including areas along the Syrian and Iraqi borders.