Turkish intelligence ‘neutralizes’ mastermind of 2007 PKK terror attack on Turkish troops

Turkish intelligence "neutralized" the mastermind of the 2007 PKK terror attack that killed 12 Turkish troops in Türkiye's southeastern province of Hakkari, a security source said on Monday.

The terrorist, Müzdelif Taşkın, who was also the PKK/YPG terror group's so-called general public order officer in Syria, was "neutralized" in the Qamishli district in northern Syria, said the source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

*Taşkın, codenamed Aslan Cele/Aslan Samura, was one of the so-called leaders of Zap province in Iraq, with the task given by the terrorist organization in 2010, to brainwash new recruits and train them in militancy after joining the PKK, said the source.

He moved to Syria before Türkiye launched the anti-terror operation Peace Spring and rose to notoriety as a key member of the PKK/YPG.

Taşkın has organized, masterminded, and personally participated in numerous attacks over the past 35 years, including a 2007 attack on Turkish troops that left 12 dead and 16 others injured.

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

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.