ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey on Friday claimed the killing of a commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in an intelligence operation in Sulaimani province, state media reported.
Turkey's state-owned Anadolu Agency identified the commander as Delal Azizoglu, code-named "Raperin" while attributing her death to a National Intelligence Agency (MIT) operation in Sulaimani.
However, Ankara did not disclose further details on the date of the operation nor where in Sulaimani was it exactly conducted.
The PKK has not confirmed the commander's death.
Turkish drones have targeted Sulaimani province twice from May 21 to June 17, killing at least two PKK members.
The MIT said they had killed PKK commander Mehmet Dogan in one of the attacks, which targeted Sulaimani's Aghjalar sub district last month.
The aforementioned offense received condemnation by Sulaimani province's ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
A Turkish drone last week targeted a car carrying PKK members in Garmiyan administration's town of Kalar in Sulaimani, killing the deputy chairman of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria’s (AANES) executive council.
The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Despite Ankara's denial, the assaults have previously led to civilian casualties who are often caught in the crossfire in the Region.
International Crisis Group says that the Turkey-PKK conflict has killed at least 597 civilians and 266 "individuals of unknown affiliation" since July 2015.
Ankara has received widespread criticism from Baghdad, Erbil, and the international community for violating Iraq's sovereignty. Its recent operation in Duhok province, dubbed Claw-Lock, has been condemned by Iraqi officials, who labeled it as a "hostile" and "provocative" violation of the country's sovereignty.
