PYD/YPG terrorist nabbed in Istanbul Airport

Çetin Aydın - ISTANBUL

A terrorist of PYD/YPG, PKK’s Syrian offshoot, who came to Türkiye after receiving training in PKK’s camps in Syria and Iraq has been caught in an operation at Istanbul Airport.

Being wanted for a while, A.Ö. passed through two checkpoints at Istanbul Airport by being searched. However, after she gave a fingerprint sample, her identity was revealed and she was detained by the police.

Following questioning by the Istanbul Police Department’s anti-terror unit, she was arrested by the court and sent to prison.

The operation was initiated after the teams received information that A.Ö., who was trained in the PKK’s camps in Syria and Iraq, arrived in Istanbul and was due to go to the southern province of Adana by plane.

The phone of A.Ö., who was caught in civilian clothes, with make-up on her face and blow-dried hair, was to be examined in detail as it had photos of her wearing a camouflage outfit and some documents belonging to the organization.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 6 the PYD/YPG groups have entered NATO’s official records as terrorist organizations as a result of Türkiye’s unwavering efforts.

During its more than 35-year terror campaign, 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.

The PKK has its main headquarters and training camps in northern Iraq from where they have been launching attacks against Türkiye and infiltrating into the country for terrorist activities. Türkiye has recently intensified its anti-terror campaign in northern Iraq.

The cross-border military actions of the Turkish Armed Forces against the PKK in the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continue with Claw Operations, which started on May 28, 2019.