Turkish intelligence neutralizes terrorist PKK ringleader in northern Iraq

By Ali Kemal Akan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish intelligence on Thursday neutralized in northern Iraq a so-called senior leader of the PKK terror group who was on the Turkish Interior Ministry’s wanted list, according to security sources.

Fehmi Ogmen, codenamed Sinan Dijvar, was neutralized in a counter-terror operation in a rural area of the Sulaymaniyah province, said the sources, on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Two other terrorists affiliated with Ogmen, the so-called battalion officer Mehmet Salih Cakal, codenamed Mazlum Kocer, and their driver Ahmed Muhammed Ali, codenamed Ararat Tolhildan, were also neutralized in the operation.

After joining the terror group in 1993, Ogmen has carried out terrorist activities within Türkiye and abroad for many years.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, near Türkiye’s southern border, to plan attacks on Turkish soil.

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.