Sinan Demiryürek, a Turkish national suspected of being a member of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MİT), was killed during a failed assassination attempt on a Kurdish citizen in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) on Wednesday. The targeted individual, now hospitalised, fought back and seriously wounded Demiryürek, leading to his death.
Roj News reported that Demiryürek had been living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since 2019. His death has intensified scrutiny over Turkey’s covert operations in the region, particularly as it followed a series of similar attacks. Last year, Kurdish feminist theorist Nagihan Akarsel was killed in a similar incident in Sulaymaniyah, further fuelling suspicions of MİT involvement.
These attacks are suspected to be supported by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the ruling party in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. If Demiryürek’s death is confirmed as an MİT operation, it could have significant diplomatic repercussions for Turkey and raise legal questions about the role of intelligence agencies in extrajudicial activities.