Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region – A senior official of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the political umbrella of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has been killed in an airstrike in Sulaimani, the Turkish intelligence agency announced.

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) confirmed that Omar Furat, also known as Tolhildan, the head of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (KCK) in Sulaimani, along with two of his companions, Irfan Zandi, also known as Raman Renas, and Ra Sooli, known as Jangawar Mikail, were killed in the operation.

The official Turkish news agency, Anadolu Agency, reported that PKK fighters had considered Sulaimani a safe haven, but stressed that this would no longer be the case.

PKK channels also confirmed the deaths, stating that three of its fighters from the Iranian Kurdistan Units (YRK) were killed in the Turkish airstrike on July 14th.

In 2023, Turkey has intensified its military drone operations in Sulaimani, leading to the deaths of at least 15 senior PKK figures. Earlier in March, Turkey’s national intelligence service eliminated Gulsun Silgir, also known as Sara Hogir Riha, a senior PKK member responsible for youth camps near Sulaimani.