STORY: Turkish intelligence kills senior PKK member in N Iraq
DATELINE: Aug. 28, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:40
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of some previous anti-terror operations of Turkish security forces against PKK
2. two photos of anti-terror operation of Turkish security forces that has eliminated Kadri Encu, a senior member of the PKK group in northern Iraq (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
3. various of the militants

STORYLINE:

Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) killed a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in an operation in northern Iraq, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Sunday.

Kadri Encu, code-named "Dogan," was "neutralized" in Iraq's Gara region, the agency quoted anonymous security sources as saying.

The PKK member joined the group's rural ranks in 2006 and was trained in the Zap region. He was responsible for the transfer of group members and weapons between Iraq and Syria, said the sources.

He was providing the routes, as well as arms and munitions for the group's members in northern Iraq's Gara, Zap, Metina, and Haftanin regions, aimed at carrying out attacks in Türkiye's "Operation Claw-Lock" zone, the sources added.

He was also involved in the activities of the group's foreign relations, Anadolu reported.

The Turkish intelligence agency has stepped up its operations abroad in recent years to stamp out "terrorist" activities in Iraq and Syria, Türkiye's two southeastern neighbors.

Also on Sunday, the Turkish military killed two militants of the PKK in the "Operation Claw-Lock" zone in a separate operation, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Türkiye launched the cross-border Operation Claw-Lock against the PKK militants in April 2022.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)