Turkish forces 'neutralize' senior PKK figure in northern Syria

ANKARA

Turkish forces "neutralized" a senior PKK figure in northern Syria, security sources said on Sunday.

Kays Berho Sulayva, codenamed Azad, was targeted in an operation by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization in the Ayn Issa region, said the sources, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Sulayva joined the terrorist organization in 2013 and engaged in terrorist activities in Iraq’s Sinjar region and the Syrian Tall Tamr region.

After working as a heavy weapons officer in the Hasakah region of Syria, Sulayva was reassigned to the Rasulayn-Tall Tamr region in 2017.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply 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 the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.