Turkish intelligence kills senior PKK member in Iraq

Ankara, May 23 (IANS) Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) killed a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a cross-border operation in northern Iraq, media reported.

Emre Sahin, codenamed "Rodi," was "neutralised" in the Gara region of northern Iraq, the the semi-official Anadolu Agency said on Monday, adding that he was responsible for the PKK's communication infrastructure, including the development of encrypted programs.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralised" to imply that "terrorists" are killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.

Sahin joined the ranks of the PKK in 2014, took part in various attacks against the Turkish security forces in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province and then crossed to neighbouring Iraq in 2019, anonymous security officials told Anadolu.

The MIT has intensified its cross-border operations in Iraq recently, particularly in Gara, and killed several other senior PKK members in the region in the past few weeks, Xinhua news agency reported.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

--IANS

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