Turkish intelligence 'neutralizes' PKK terrorist ringleader in northern Iraq

ANKARA

Turkish intelligence "neutralized" a ringleader of the PKK terrorist organization in northern Iraq, security sources said on Wednesday.

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) neutralized Islam Cehanfer, one of the so-called leaders of the terrorist organization PKK, in the rural Penjavin region of Iraq’s city of Sulaymaniyah, approximately 200 kilometers away from the Turkish border, said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The intelligence monitored the activities of the terrorist, codenamed Berhudan Kelhor, known as the so-called battalion leader of the group's Syrian branch, the YPG.

Cehanfer, who assumed responsibility for members of the PKK and its offshoots during his time in Syria and facilitated the treatment of injured organization members, was reported to be active in Iraq and Syria.

PKK terrorists often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.