MİT ‘neutralizes’ senior PKK member in Iraq’s north

ANKARA

The National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has neutralized the PKK/KCK’s communication chief during an operation in northern Iraq.

Emre Şahin, code-named Rodi, was found to write the programs used by the organization’s communication system, including him in the list of “critical targets to be neutralized.”

Upon a notification received by the MİT that he crossed into the Gara region in Iraq’s north, Şahin and his bodyguard were neutralized by the field agents in an operation.

Before joining the PKK/KCK in 2014, Şahin held various positions within some youth movements operating in parallel with the organization. He then started to carry out activities in the Turkish province of Şırnak’s countryside and moved to Iraq in 2019, where he also got trained in the production of detonators and explosives.

Since 2020, Şahin, as the head of the hacker unit, had been producing encrypted communication methods used by the organization.

Neutralized is a term used by the Turkish military and officials to indicate terrorists were either killed, wounded, or captured. The ministry ranks those included on the list in five color-coded categories from red (most wanted) to blue, green, orange and grey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.