MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: DEATH OF PKK HERO ? – Turkey Claims It Killed a PKK Founding Figure

18-11-2021 ERBIL — Turkey claimed on Thursday the killing of a founding figure of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region, according to security sources cited by Turkish media. State-run Anadolu Agency identified the individual as Ali Haydar Kaytan, codenamed “Fuat”, who was reportedly once considered the second-in-command in the PKK.

Security sources claimed that Fuat was changing his location frequently to escape Turkish attacks, but he was “neutralized” during a military operation by Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and army forces in the recent days. Anadolu Agency also claimed that Fuat’s death was kept a secret in order to keep the morale up among the ranks of the PKK. “His body was buried somewhere known only to high-level PKK ringleaders, and the operatives who buried Kaytan were later executed by the terror group,” also the report claimed.