Turkish intel neutralises key PKK/KCK terrorist in northern Iraq

Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) successfully neutralised Gulistan Tekik, a high-ranking member of the PKK/KCK terrorist group, in a targeted operation in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, security sources have said.

Gulistan Tekik, also known by the codename Pelin Batman and a member of the PKK/KCK's so-called Science and Enlightenment Committee, had previously engaged in armed activities in rural areas.

Under the direct orders of senior PKK ringleader Murat Karayilan, Tekik was issued a fake identity and stationed in Sulaymaniyah. She was responsible for the organisation's propaganda and disinformation campaigns.

Tekik also oversaw other cells conducting similar operations in the region. Based on intelligence reports, MIT meticulously tracked Tekik’s movements in Sulaymaniyah, sources said.

Connections with PUK

Turkish authorities accuse the PUK, one of the two leading powerful parties in the Iraqi Kurdish region, of opening up space in urban and rural areas in Sulaymaniyah and its surroundings for the PKK/YPG terror group, even as the terrorists disrupt the stability, security, and economic development of the region.

PUK issues identity cards used by its counter-terrorism unit to members of the terrorist organisation, thus allowing terrorists to gain a certain degree of freedom in the region.

In the wake of Tekik’s neutralisation, PUK officials acknowledged her death but avoided mentioning her connections to the PKK/KCK, attempting to downplay their association with the terrorist group.

Who Was Gulistan Tekik?

Gulistan Tekik joined the PKK/KCK in 1998 and has been a trusted figure within the organisation, particularly by Murat Karayilan.

She worked alongside top ringleaders like Duran Kalkan and Ferhat Abdi Sahin. In 2000, she received specialised training at the PKK’s Qandil camp and later served as a training officer for recruits in the Hakurk/Hinere region.

Tekik's influence extended beyond Iraq, as she held a leadership role in the terrorist organisation's women's structure in Syria, again under a false identity.

Her final assignment before her neutralisation was as a training officer in the Mahmur area of Iraq.

This operation marks another significant blow to the PKK/KCK’s leadership and propaganda efforts in the region, demonstrating MIT’s ongoing commitment to dismantling the terrorist network.

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