Turkey ‘neutralizes’ PKK mastermind of 2019 assassination of its diplomat, says Turkish media
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkey “neutralized” a top Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) operative and mastermind who planned the assassination of a Turkish diplomat in 2019 in Erbil, Turkish state media announced on Wednesday.
Celal Kaya, known by the nom de guerre Hassan, was “neutralized” in Sulaimani on Wednesday, the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency said, citing a source on the condition of anonymity due to “restrictions.”
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralize" in their statements to refer to the surrender, killing, or arrest of members of the PKK.
Kaya was believed to have been the mastermind of the assassination of Osman Kose, a Turkish diplomat working at the country’s Consulate General in Erbil, who was killed by a PKK assassin in the Kurdish capital in July 2019.
An alleged personal photo of Kaya was shared by Turkish media as well.
In 2019, the Kurdistan Region's security forces in Erbil released the confessions of those who took part in the assassination plot.
Turkish state media alleged that the member had been “collecting intelligence” on Turkish armed forces and planned attacks against the country’s officials.
The news comes as Turkey on Monday extended its flight ban to Sulaimani International Airport until January 2024 over Ankara's concerns that the airport has become a "hub" for the militant group. It was initially imposed in early-April and planned to last until July this year.
Ankara in recent years has increased its attacks against alleged members of the Kurdish group in the Kurdistan Region's urban areas.
Bolstered by its advanced drone industry, Turkey has ramped up its drone strikes in recent years, particularly in the urban centers of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, to target suspected PKK positions.
Engaged in an armed struggle since the mid-1980s, the PKK-Turkey conflict has resulted in the casualties of tens of thousands of people from both sides.
Much of the conflict has been fought in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region, which had endangered the civilian population.