Turkish police launch raid against PKK drug sources

Law enforcement teams launched a major anti-drugs operation yesterday morning around Diyarbakır, dealing a major blow to what Diyarbakır Gov. Mustafa Toprak said was a significant source of finances for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Security personnel numbering 1,700 in total, including 55 gendarmerie and police department special operations teams, as well as village guards on temporary duty, took part in the operation, which kicked off at 4 a.m. in the Lice, Hazro and Kocaköy districts of the southeastern province. Four helicopters and 16 armored vehicles were also used in the operation. 

The drug operation was staged to strike a major blow at the PKK’s financial resources and “paramilitary terrorist activities,” Toprak said, adding that the areas where drugs were cultivated and produced were also targeted in the operation.