Istanbul - Turkish police has arrested more than 230 people suspected of belonging to the illegal Kurdistan Workers'' Party (PKK), 70 of them in this city, during an operation that is still open.

According to information provided by sources of the anti-terrorist unit in Istanbul to the Anadolu news agency, the raids have been simultaneously carried out in 104 places in the city, where weapons, ammunition, digital equipment and documents belonging to the PKK were found.

Other 26 suspects were arrested in the provinces of Adana, 60 in Mersin, 12 in Antalya, all in the southern region of the country, 35 in the western province of Izmir, 11 in Van, and 24 in Malatya, in eastern Turkey.

Police said those operations were still underway, while the search for 34 suspects in unknown whereabouts continued.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, has been a burning issue in the violent armed conflict with the army, since the state decided in July 2015 to suspend a truce that sought to end years of clashes with thousands of dead.