Turkey’s Intelligence ‘Neutralizes’ Senior PKK Leader in Syria

The Turkish National Intelligence Organization has “neutralized” a senior official of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria, according to a report from the semiofficial Anadolu Agency on Sunday. The target of the operation was Abdulhamit Kapar, a figure in the PKK responsible for logistics and finances. Kapar had been with the PKK since 1992 and relocated to Syria in 2018.

Details of the operation itself were not disclosed in the report. Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralize” to indicate that a targeted individual has either surrendered, been captured, or killed.

The PKK is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and the European Union. The organization has been involved in a long-standing insurgency against the Turkish government for over 30 years.

Since 2019, Turkey has launched several cross-border military operations aimed at the PKK’s positions in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. These operations are part of Turkey’s broader strategy to diminish the influence and reach of the PKK in the region.