Turkiye apprehends PKK ringleader in Portugal, eliminates eight militants in Iraq and Syria
Shafaq News/ Turkish authorities have capturedSerdar Tunagur, the alleged ringleader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) inPortugal, during a joint operation conducted by the Turkish NationalIntelligence Organization (MIT) and Istanbul police, security sources revealedon Sunday to Anadolu news agency.
Tunagur, accused of engaging in subversiveactivities and coordinating PKK operations in Portugal, was arrested inIstanbul.
Judicial authorities have since ordered hisdetention. Media reports indicate that Tunagur previously served inPKK-affiliated activities in rural Turkiye and the Makhmur camp in Iraq, aknown stronghold of the group. Intelligence had reportedly been monitoring hismovements for an extended period.
Separately, the Turkish Ministry of Defenseannounced the elimination of eight PKK and YPG militants in Syria and Iraq onSunday. Four were neutralized in the Claw-Lock operation zone in northern Iraq,and four others in the Olive Branch and Peace Spring operation areas innorthern Syria, according to the ministry's statement.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization byTurkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in anarmed struggle against the Turkish state since the 1980s, seeking greaterautonomy for the Kurdish population in Turkiye. This decades-long conflict hasled to tens of thousands of deaths, with Turkiye conducting cross-bordermilitary operations to target PKK strongholds in Iraq and YPG positions inSyria.
