Türkiye neutralises PKK terror group’s so-called Iraq intelligence officer

Turkish intelligence forces in northern Iraq, across the Turkish border, neutralized Celal Kaya, a so-called intel officer for the terrorist group PKK, a security source said on July 5.

Kaya, codenamed Hasan, also reportedly plotted the assassination of Turkish diplomat Osman Kose, who was killed on July 17, 2019, in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, Anadolu reports.

Kaya carried out terrorist activities in the country and abroad and personally organized many actions. He acted at a responsible level in the intelligence structure of the PKK, collecting intelligence against the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkish civil servants operating in northern Iraq.

MIT personnel sent their field agents to the region and obtained intelligence on Kaya, often changing their team so as not to attract attention. "Intelligence networks" were used, completely unaware of each other, and Celal Kaya's actions were traced step by step.

At the right moment, a strong blow was dealt to the intelligence network of the RKK. Celal Kaya was neutralised, and the operation was successfully completed.

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.