ANKARA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) — The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has killed the logistical ringleader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in an operation in northern Iraq, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
Cahit Aktay, codenamed Huseyin Piran, was involved in a planned attack in Türkiye’s “Operation Claw-Lock” zone in northern Iraq, the agency quoted anonymous security sources as saying.
Aktay was allegedly plotting attacks on Turkish security forces and working to smuggle weapons and ammunition.
The PKK member was also believed to have taken part in the planning of a 2016 attack in Türkiye’s southeastern Sirnak province, where three Turkish soldiers and two village guards were killed.
He joined the rural ranks of the PKK in 2008 and became the group’s financial and logistical ringleader in the Metina region in 2019.
The MIT has stepped up its operations abroad in recent years to stamp out “terrorist” activities against Türkiye in neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Türkiye launched the cross-border “Operation Claw-Lock” against the PKK militants in April 2022.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
Source: Xinhua Net