MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2022) The Turkish armed forces eliminated a senior militant affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated terrorist by Ankara, in the course of the operation in northern Iraq, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Sunday, citing unnamed security sources.
The neutralized militant, Izzettin Inan, who used a code name "Dersim Malatya," was reportedly working at the People's Defence Forces, the military wing of the PKK. He joined the party in the 1990s and was allegedly responsible for attacks on Turkish forces in Syria and Iraq, Anadolu reported, adding that Inan provided ideological and military training for recruits.
Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) tracked and located Inan in the mountainous region of Gara in Iraq.
Ankara started the new military operation against the PKK in northern Iraq on April 17. Iraq slammed the Turkish operation in its territory, saying it poses a threat to national security.
The military conflict between Turkey and the PKK began in 1984 and entered an active phase in 2015. PKK military bases located in the northern part of Iraq have been occasionally targeted by the Turkish armed forces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that since July 2015, 6,000 PKK members have been killed in Turkey and 6,900 outside the country. Turkey has lost more than 1,200 military personnel in clashes with the PKK.
