Turkey blames UAE's spy agents for training PKK militants in Syria

United Arab Emirates has sent many spy agents to Syria to train YPG/PKK militants over the past few years, Anadolu Agency has learned from multiple sources. After holding secret talks with the militants in 2017, the UAE sent intelligence officers in the area the following year.

They train YPG/PKK terrorists in espionage, counter-espionage, sabotage, assassination acts, signal intelligence, information security and communication networks. These trainings were held in Qamishli, Hasaka and Deir ez-Zor in northwestern Syria. The Emirati officers also established a secret direct hotline with the terrorists.

The codenames of these agents are available with Anadolu Agency. The agent code-named Abdullatif Abdulkadir Hamrush stayed in terror camps in Qamishli for a year giving trainings on information security and signal intelligence. Mohammed Abdulkadir al-Shehhi, another UAE agent, carried out killings on behalf of the terrorists in Syria.

Ahmed Rashid Muhammed also provided trainings to the organization on cryptology and communication networks. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

Turkish security forces neutralized five more PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the country’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday. The terrorists were neutralized in an air-backed operation in the Metina region, the ministry said in a tweet. Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.