In the past, such strikes have been aimed at targets Turkey says are linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
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“The individuals in question are temporarily suspended – placed on paid leave – pending formal investigation”, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s remarks on Monday that all teachers having links to the PKK terrorist organisation will be suspended, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Silvan district of Diyarbakir province was also brought under the control of administrators, with both councils targeted over what the officials said was their support for the PKK, deemed a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies.
The purge comes as the state continues to sack, arrest or suspend civil servants and members of the military for alleged links to Gulen, who Ankara blames for a failed coup attempt in July.
The Ministry said the number of suspended teachers would reach 14,000 during the probe, which is being conducted in coordination with governors’ offices across the country.
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Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority.
