Turkish intelligence nabs senior PKK member in Iraq

ANKARA (TURKEY): Turkey's intelligence agency on Monday caught a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Sinjar region of northern Iraq.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) arrested Cekdar Kaya, who was in charge of the PKK's logistics in Sinjar region, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report by state-run TRT broadcaster.

Kaya joined the PKK in 2015 and took part in attacks in Iraq's Gara region in 2016 and Sinjar in 2017. He also served as a sniper in the PKK, TRT reported.

The MIT has recently intensified its cross-border operations in northern Iraq. On Sunday, it killed Okkes Deveri, a PKK member in charge of its health committee and his bodyguard Kayhan Kartal in a cross-border operation in Gara.

The Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments against the group's positions in northern Iraq, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the PKK.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.