Security

Sulaimani security forces arrest suspect in killing of PKK member

The detainee was also the main suspect in the attempted murder of a second PKK official in Kurdistan Region's Sulaimani city, local authorities said.

Kurdistan 24 2021/09/18 17:45

The suspect allegedly behind the killing of a PKK official and the attempted killing of a second official. (Photo: Sulaimani Asayish)

Kurdistan PKK Sulaimani Kurdistan Turkey

The security forces in Kurdistan Region's Sulaimani have arrested the main suspect in the assassination of a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) official in the city, local authorities announced Saturday. The suspect was also wanted for the attempted killing of another PKK member.

The party's Yasin Bulut, also known as Shukri Sarhad, was gunned down in Sulaimani city's Chwar Chra neighborhood on Friday. A second official was wounded in a separate attack a day earlier.

The Sulaimani Security Directorate (Asayish) said in a statement that its detachments detained the lead suspect in the assassination and attempted killing in less than 24 hours.

The Asayish did not provide any other details, nor did it mention the name or identity of the suspect.

The PKK has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with Turkey over Kurdish rights in Turkey. The fighting has led to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides.

Turkish forces have taken over vast tracts of land in the Kurdistan Region to combat the armed group, headquartered in the region's Qandil Mountains.

Authorities in the Kurdistan Region have repeatedly called on Turkey and the PKK to avoid conflict in the Kurdistan Region, which has witnessed deadly incidents as a result of the fighting.