Turkey claims responsibility after journalists killed in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish intelligence announced the “neutralization” of a Kurdish woman in Sulaimani province, claiming that she was a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) official, state media reported on Wednesday.

Citing Turkish intelligence sources, state media Anadolu Agency (AA) reported that the country’s intelligence agency (MIT) has “neutralized Gulistan Tekik” in Sulaimani. According to the report, she was a PKK official with the codename of “Pelin Batman.”

Turkey uses the term “neutralized” to denote adversaries captured, wounded, or killed in combat. AA did not confirm a date nor a time for the operation.

Gulistan Tara and Hero Bahadin, journalists from Sterk TV, were killed near Said Sadiq, east of Sulaimani city, in the Kurdistan Region on Friday. At least one other journalist was also injured.

AA also published undated images claiming to show Gulistan Tara with PKK members.

According to the state news report, MIT sources said she was “running propaganda and disinformation operations” for the PKK in Sulaimani with the support of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK).

Ankara repeatedly has accused the Sulaimani-based PUK of having close connections with the PKK. The PUK has denied supporting the party.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, who is a leadership member of the PUK, accused Turkey of violating Iraq’s sovereignty.

“The killing of these two journalists is an excusable crime and is against all sorts of laws and international norms. We strongly condemn it. Additionally, it is a stark violation of Iraqi territorial sovereignty,” he said on Friday in a statement, calling on Baghdad and the international community to “put a limit on these violations that have become a serious threat to the lives of Kurdistan Region’s civilians.”

The attack also has drawn criticism from Iraqi and Kurdish politicians, civil rights activists, and press freedom advocates. The Iraqi parliament’s foreign affairs committee condemned the attack in a statement on Friday.

On Tuesday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on both the KRG and the federal government to “deploy maximum efforts, both through diplomatic or other means available, to put pressure on the Turkish government to prevent such violations committed by the Turkish army against journalists and civilians.”