Turkish Intelligence neutralizes senior PJAK leader in Iraq's al-Sulaymaniyah

Shafaq News/ Turkish intelligence have neutralized Islam Dotkanlou, a senior leader of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), along with his bodyguard Akam Shahi (Akam Şahe), also known as " Şivan Çiya," in an operation in al-Sulaymaniyah, in Kurdistan Region, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.

Anadolu noted that Dotkanlou was a high-priority target for Turkish intelligence and that Shahi, Dotkanlou’s bodyguard, was the founder of the so-called Eastern Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK).

Founded in 2004, PJAK, the Iranian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which Turkiye and Iran regard as a terrorist organization, operates as both a political and military organization advocating for the autonomy of Kurdish regions in Iran. The group maintains its base in the Qandil Mountains near the Iran-Iraq border.

Iran accuses the United States and Israel of supporting PJAK financially and militarily, alleging that the group is used as a tool to exert pressure on the Iranian government.