Van Gov

Turkey has appointed mayors to four municipalities in the southeastern and eastern region of the country following operations to detain and arrest the provinces' democratically elected leaders.

Trustees were appointed to the municipalities of the eastern provinces of Van, Siirt and Tunceli and the southeastern province of Mardin early on Nov. 17. 

One police officer and 12 suspected militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed following a police raid on a house in the eastern province of Van's Edremit district.

Police special forces raided a two-story house at around 5 a.m. on Jan. 10, following a tip off that the people in the house were planning a large-scale attack in Van, authorities said.

Two police officers have been suspended as part of an investigation launched after footage was revealed showing an armored police vehicle pushing two cars into flames during an intervention into protests against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the eastern province of Van.