Turkish authorities arrest a PKK operative involved in international propaganda

Shafaq News/ Turkish authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) member who was active in Iraq's Makhmour camp and a number of countries.

The PKK member, Bari Iusubov, was nabbed in Turkiye in a joint operation conducted by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and security forces, according to Anadolu Agency.

He was actively involved in “spreading PKK propaganda in Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and the group's Makhmour camp in Iraq,” Anadolu agency reported, adding that he maintained close ties with high-ranking group members and was involved in several operations.

Under surveillance by Turkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) since 2020, Iusubov has now been arrested and imprisoned, the same source stated.

Notably, Turkiye conducts operations to combat the PKK, which targets its forces and citizens and operates in several countries in the region, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK has its origins in the early 1980s when the PKK began its armed struggle for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, this conflict escalated into a full-scale insurgency, with the PKK employing guerrilla tactics and the Turkish military responding with major operations targeting PKK strongholds, both within Turkiye and across the border in northern Iraq.

Recently, on August 15, Turkiye and Iraq signed an agreement after high-level security talks in Ankara, aimed at boosting military, security, and counter-terrorism cooperation, specifically against the PKK. The agreement includes plans for joint coordination and training centers in Baghdad and Bashiqa, northern Iraq. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the agreement as "historically significant," while Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called it a landmark deal, particularly in defense and security collaboration.