Turkish intelligence neutralises senior PKK terrorist in northern Iraq

Turkish intelligence neutralised another so-called senior member of the PKK/KCK terror group in northern Iraq, security sources have reported.

Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured Rojda Bilen, codenamed Biseng Brusk, in a cross-border anti-terror operation in a rural area of Iraq's Sulaymaniyah, sources said on Tuesday.

Bilen was a so-called coordinator of the terror group in Sulaymaniyah, the sources added on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

She joined the terror group in 2011 and was sought in the "blue" category of wanted terrorists for "being a member of an armed terrorist organisation," the sources added.

The wanted list is divided into five colour-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange, and grey.

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

PKK terrorists often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralise" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.