ANKARA (Xinhua) – The Turkish National Intelligence Organization killed a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in a cross-border operation in northern Iraq, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.
Celal Birdal, codenamed “Sidar Serhat,” was “neutralized” in the Gara region of northern Iraq, Anadolu said, adding that he was the responsible person for the “press and archives” of the PKK.
The term “neutralized” is often used by Turkish authorities to imply that “terrorists” are killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.
Birdal was involved in several attacks against Turkish security forces in the Zap and Hakurk regions in northern Iraq, the agency reported.
The Turkish intelligence has intensified cross-border operations in Iraq since last year and killed several other senior PKK members over the past months.
The Turkish military also carries out frequent cross-border operations against the PKK in northern Iraq, particularly in the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the group.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.