Turkish intelligence 'neutralizes' so-called head of PKK/KCK terror group in Iraq's Kirkuk

Turkish intelligence forces "neutralized" so-called head of the PKK/KCK terror group in Iraq's northern Kirkuk province, security sources said on November 14.

Remzi Avci, who was on Türkiye's most-wanted list, joined the terror organization in 1992, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, Anadolu news agency reports.

Codenamed Ciya Amed, Avci was involved in terrorist activities in Syria's Afrin and Iraq's Sinjar and Gara regions, according to the sources, who added that he also had an organizing role in the terror group's actions in 2016 in Türkiye's southeastern Diyarbakir province.

He was in the red category of Türkiye's wanted terrorists' list. The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange, and gray.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU - has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.