Kurds blamed for Turkish mayor's kidnapping

Kurdish rebels are believed to have kidnapped the mayor of Yayladere in south-east Turkey’s Bingol province, relatives and officials from the mayor’s office said today.

Kurdish rebels allegedly stopped Mayor Hasim Akyurek’s car near the town of Yayladere yesterday afternoon and kidnapped him along with another man travelling with him.

The second man, Zulfu Coban, was released late last night and told Turkish security officials they were kidnapped by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said Bilge Eren, an official from the mayor’s office.

If true, it would be the second kidnapping in three weeks by autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, who have recently escalated their attacks. Kurdish rebels have also been holding a Turkish soldier hostage since July 11.

The motive for the kidnapping was not immediately clear, and Coban is being questioned by Turkish security forces, Eren said.

Turkish troops launched an offensive in the area to find and rescue the mayor, Eren said.

Kurdish rebels have been fighting with Turkish troops for autonomy in the region since 1984. The clashes claimed the lives of 37,000 people since the rebels took up arms.