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Turkey suspends over 250 local officials for ‘terror links’
ANKARA, Oct 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Turkey has suspended more than 250 senior
local officials over alleged terror links and activities unrelated to their
posts, the interior ministry said on Monday, in the latest purge of the
country’s bureaucracy.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu removed 259 local neighbourhood heads —
known as “muhtar” in Turkish — from their posts, his office said in a
statement.
It did not provide further detail on what terror organisations the
officials were allegedly linked to.
The muhtar is the elected chief of a village or a city neighbourhood, and
responsible for day-to-day services for residents such as registration.
Turkey has suspended or sacked over 140,000 public sector employees
because of alleged links to the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen
blamed for the July 2016 failed coup and Kurdish militants.
Turkey claims Gulen ordered the coup but he denies the accusations.
Last week, the ministry suspended 559 village guards — locals employed to
combat Kurdish militants — accused of links to terror organisations while 76
were accused of people trafficking and drug crimes.
Turkey has been fighting an insurgency against the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) since 1984.
The group is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western
allies.
Turkish authorities detained 137 people in country-wide operations earlier
this month over alleged links to the PKK.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1840 hrs