Türkiye's MIT eliminates PKK terrorist in Iraq
An undated photo shows Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq, where the operation took place. (Shutterstock Photo)


A PKK terrorist who was plotting an attack against Türkiye was eliminated in Iraq, sources said Thursday.

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had found that Sadık Şeyh Ahmet, a PKK/KCK terrorist, was operating in the rural areas of Iraq's Sulaymaniyah and Penjwen regions, said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The terrorist, who was found to be plotting terrorist attacks against Türkiye, was tracked down by Turkish intelligence and taken down by its operation. The terrorist, who came to Türkiye at the start of the anti-regime movements in Syria, returned to Syria in 2015 and carried out armed activities within the PKK/YPG. It was also found that Ahmet, who had been operating in different positions on behalf of the terrorist group in Syria for a long time, later moved to Iraq and finally acted with the so-called high-level members of the terrorist group located on the Iraqi-Iranian border.

An undated photo of Sadık Şeyh Ahmet taken in an undisclosed location. (DHA Photo)

The counterterrorism operation came after the Dec. 29 PKK terror attack that killed 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq. Turkish airstrikes, since then, have destroyed dozens of terror targets in northern Iraq and Syria and neutralized senior terrorists. PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye. The group also has a Syrian branch known as the YPG.

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