Four PKK terrorists nabbed by security forces at Iraq's Mount Sinjar have been brought to Turkey as part of an operation by the Turkish intelligence services, reports said Monday.
According to reports, the terrorists were brought to Turkey and handed to counterterror police on April 18, 2019.
Identified by initials as V.K., M.K., A.Ö., and K.İ., the terrorists had received training from the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria and crossed the border to Iraq.
V.K. reportedly joined the PKK in 2010 and was responsible for carrying out attacks against the Turkish Armed Forces near Sinjar region.
The terrorist was in hiding after he raped a disabled 11-year-old Yazidi child in March.
Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terror threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara has also previously underlined that if the expected steps are not taken, it will not shy away from targeting terror threats, particularly in Sinjar.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks in Turkey. In mid-2014, the PKK managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar on the pretext that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh. Since then, the PKK has reportedly established ground in Sinjar as a new base for its logistical and command-and-control activities. Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) previously said that the PKK's presence in Sinjar is unacceptable and called for the militants to leave the area.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The terrorist organization isn't just active in Turkey but operates throughout the region, particularly in Syria and Iraq.
