Turkey: Police detain leftist protesters in Ankara

Turkish police used force to detain a reported eight left-wing protesters during a peaceful demonstration in Ankara, Monday, as the group commemorated those who died in the Suruc bomb attack that killed 38 people on July 20. The demonstrators, members of the Federations of Socialist Youth Organisations (SGDF), were told by law enforcement that the protest in the Turkish capital's Kizilay neighbourhood was illegal. After disagreeing with police, the protesters were detained. The arrests come as several Turkish local media outlets reported that security forces carried out a large anti-Islamic State (IS, formally known as ISIS/ISIL) operation in 13 different provinces over the weekend, reportedly detaining over 250 people. Critics have claimed that the vast majority of those detained were from Kurdish and leftist organisations, with violent protests breaking out throughout Turkey. The arrests come as Ankara began an airstrike campaign over the weekend, hitting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters in northern Syria on Sunday.