Kurdistan Region Security Council arrests PKK suspects of planning bomb attacks in Yezidi camps
“The group planned to conduct terrorist attacks through improvised explosive devices.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a video statement on Tuesday evening, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) announced the arrest of a ‘terrorist group’ of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Jan. 6, in the Duhok province.
“The group planned to conduct terrorist attacks through improvised explosive devices,” the Kurdistan Region Security Council said.
The security forces arrested two persons named Hemin Yousif Khzr, aka Heval Andoq and Ahmad Shamo Samir with three improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A taxi driver was also arrested for transporting the IEDs.
“The results of the interrogation of the arrested terrorists showed that Naji Haji Badal (aka Rojhat), a chief PKK intelligence officer, directed the suspects to conduct surveillance of military convoys and collect intelligence of political, social and religious figures, in order to conduct terrorist attacks and plant explosives in Sharya, Bersive, Kabartw, and Sheikan camps,” the Kurdistan Region Security Council said.
The camps host thousands of Yezidi’s that fled their homes after ISIS attacked Shingal (Sinjar) in August 2014. They are unable to return to their homes due to the ‘instability and the aggression of outlawed groups, including the PKK in Shingal,’ the Security Council said.
Interrogation videos, published by the KRSC, show the confessions of the three suspects, including Hemin Yousif Khzr, who said he joined the PKK in 2016 and received instructions from Rojhilat to take pictures and plant an IED in a displacement camp. Fortunately, security forces arrested him before carrying out his mission.
Also, Ahmad Shamo Samir confessed to receiving instructions from the same PKK official to take pictures and spy on political and social figures. He was arrested while trying to retrieve an IED in the Khanke camp.
A security officer in the video also shows three homemade lethal bombs that security forces confiscated.
Read More: Kurdistan Region Security Council uncovers ‘dangerous plot’ by PKK
This is not the first time the KRSC prevented a plot by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). In April, the Kurdish security force seized explosives and military equipment the PKK planned to use.