Dictator Erdogan Rounding Up Political Opposition

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— Turkish security forces have detained 1,302 people in 39 provinces since July 24, according to a statement issued by the office of the prime minister on Wednesday.

The statement said members of “illegal organizations” including ISIS, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other left-wing radicals were among the detainees. It also said between 50-60 of the detainees were foreign nationals who would in the coming days be officially charged while legal charges had already been brought against a number of the detainees.

The arrests came days after the bombing in the border town of Suruc in which 32 people were killed and 104 others were wounded. The PKK took responsibility for killing two policemen the group accused of masterminding the bombing and with links to ISIS.

The Turkish government and the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan struck an agreement in 2013 which would gradually end the violence and pave the way toward a permanent peace.

Both the PKK and Turkish President Receb Tayyip Erdogan have said peace process is unlikely to continue in the wake of recent events.

The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) said on Wednesday most of detainees were Kurdish and many were members of the PKK, not members the Islamic State.