Turkish security sources revealed that Serdar Tunagür, the top leader of the PKK terrorist association in Portugal, was arrested during a joint procedure by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization and Istanbul police. Tunagür, who previously employed in subversive activities in support of the PKK, actively took part in many actions on behalf of the terrorist group in Portugal.

He was captured in Istanbul and later sent to prison on judicial authorities’ orders. Media outlets said that the suspect once operated under the PKK in rural parts of Türkiye and Makhmur, a PKK headquarters in Iraq. He has been under supervision by intelligence for a while, sources expressed. The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the country’s armed forces have eradicated eight members of the PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian branch, YPG, in function zones in Syria and Iraq.

The PKK, ranked as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 individuals, including women, children, babies, and the elderly. Strikes on the terrorist group have only strengthened in the past two years. The PKK mounted an aggression in the capital Ankara last month, as two of its members endeavoured to raid the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), killing five and wounding 22 others.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan indicated a large-scale military offensive in that country against the PKK. Erdogan expressed that Turkey has reached out for normalization, voicing its belief that it would open the door to serenity and stability in Syrian territories.

Türkiye has undertaken several cross-border operations in recent years in both northern Syria and northern Iraq, hitting terrorists who hide out there and destabilize the border or plot raids on Turkish soil. Regurgitating Turkey’s commitment to fighting terrorism while admiring Syria’s territorial integrity, Erdoğan stated that the presence of terrorist groups in northern Syria, notably the PKK/YPG, also poses a threat to its territorial integrity, adding that the Syrian government, well aware of this, must take measures to create a new environment in the country.