Turkey announces the “neutralization” of a senior PKK official wanted by Interpol

July 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of Turkey announced on Monday the “neutralization” of two suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), including one wanted by Interpol, in the framework of an operation carried out in the province of Diyarbakir (southeast) .

The Turkish Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu, has highlighted on his account on the social network Twitter that one of the deceased is Necati Utku Kiraz, alias ‘Azat ​​Kendal’, who was in the orange category of the most wanted by Ankara.

“We have been looking for him for a long time. The latest coup by the Gendarmerie has been a successful operation with the Intelligence services and the Diyarbakir Police,” he detailed, before highlighting the work of the “heroes” in the security forces.

The Turkish Interior Ministry has linked Kiraz to an attack in March 2016 in an Ankara shopping area that left around 40 dead and 350 injured, as well as a 2019 attack on a military base in Diyarbakir.

On the other hand, the security forces of Turkey “neutralized” on Sunday an alleged senior official of the PKK’s military wing, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), as reported by the Turkish state news agency, Anatolia.

Security sources have indicated that this suspect, identified as Izettin Inan, was “neutralized” in the Iraqi region of Gara (north), before detailing that he replaced Jalaf al Muhamad, alias ‘Sofi Nurettin’, in the post after his death in 2021.

The Turkish authorities use the term “neutralized” to mean that the suspects have been killed, captured or handed over to the authorities.

The Turkish Army has intensified its operations against the PKK both in the country and in northern Iraq — where the formation has numerous bases — since the ceasefire between the Government and the armed group was broken in July 2015 .