Türkiye targets PKK hideouts in N Iraq, N Syria a day after deadly attack

Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) successfully neutralised a senior PKK/KCK terrorist, Serkan Nazlier, in a targeted operation in northern Iraq, security sources said on Thursday. Nazlier, a high-ranking figure in the terrorist organisation and listed in the most-wanted "red category," was the so-called leader of PKK operations in southeastern Türkiye’s Hakkari province.

The mastermind behind multiple attacks

Nazlier, who went by the codename "Sefkan Amed," was located in Iraq’s Hakurk region as a result of extensive Turkish intelligence operations that have pushed the terrorists to find refuge elsewhere.

He was a key figure responsible for planning and coordinating numerous attacks against Türkiye, including the 2019 rocket attack on a Turkish Armed Forces base in northern Iraq.

His role included selecting and directing operatives for various missions, making him a high-priority target for Turkish forces.

Broader air strikes

The neutralisation of Nazlier comes as part of a broader counter-terrorism campaign in the region.

Turkish forces have intensified their operations, launching airstrikes against 47 terrorist targets in northern Iraq and Syria.

Since Wednesday, a total of 59 PKK and PKK/YPG terrorists, including two key leaders, have been neutralised, according to the National Defence Ministry.

The term "neutralised" is used by Turkish authorities to indicate that the terrorists have either been killed, captured, or they have surrendered.

Response to terrorist attack in Ankara

The recent wave of air strikes follows a deadly terrorist attack on Wednesday at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters in Ankara’s Kahramankazan district.

The attack resulted in five deaths and 22 injuries. Security forces quickly responded, neutralising two terrorists at the scene.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya identified the attackers on Thursday as Mine Sevjin Alcicek and Ali Orek, known by the codename Rojger, both of them members of the PKK terror group.