Turkish forces 'neutralize' so-called Avasin chief of PKK terror group in Iraq

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish forces “neutralized” a senior operative of the PKK terror group through an air-backed operation in northern Iraq, Turkish security sources said on Sunday.

A drone detected a group of terrorists preparing for an attack in the Avasin region, according to sources from the National Defense Ministry.

Bilal Onat, codenamed Devrim Garzan, who was heading the PKK structure in the region, was among the terrorists neutralized in the operation, the sources noted.

Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply that the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last year in April to target the terror group PKK's hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

It was preceded by two operations – Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle – launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

*Writing by Necva Tastan