According to the press centre of the People's Defence Forces (HPG), "Leheng and Alişer" have been extradited from Armenia to Turkey. The HPG thus contradicts reports in the Turkish media, which reported on a successful foreign operation of the intelligence service MIT.

“Comrades Leheng and Alişer encountered forces of the Armenian state in the border area with Armenia in August 2021 and acted prudently to prevent a negative situation. However, they were arrested, detained and charged. Our friends fought legally and were brought before the Armenian Court of Appeal on 23 February 2022, which decided to release them. According to international and Armenian law, they should have been released. Instead, they were abducted and detained by the Armenian secret service. Although they were promised release after initiatives were taken, they were extradited from Armenia to Turkey about a month ago," the HPG said.

"A disgrace for Armenia"

In doing so, Armenia has violated international legal norms and its own laws, HPG stated: "To hand over Kurdish revolutionaries, who fight for the existence and freedom of their people and empathise with the pain of all oppressed peoples, in this way to the state of Turkey, which is aiming at genocide, is a disgrace for Armenia. Our two comrades have fallen into the hands of the Turkish state in this way. However, in the special war media of the Turkish state, the operation is presented as a very successful MIT operation."

The HPG also reported that two more persons have been extradited from Iraq to Turkey. In a statement on 14 September, the HPG press centre denied Turkish reporting on an alleged MIT operation in Maxmur Camp in which two PKK members were captured. According to the statement, this report by the Turkish special war media lacked any basis and was designed to portray Turkish intelligence as successful and to distract attention from the heavy losses suffered by the army in the war in Kurdistan. The two people allegedly captured, Hatip and Aria, had already separated from the Kurdish liberation movement in July. This was also confirmed by the People's Council of Maxmur. As the HPG said, these persons ended up in the hands of the Iraqi state and were extradited by it to Turkey "due to profit interests". "It is obvious that the success stories about MIT designed with false scenarios at the table do not correspond to reality. The peoples of Kurdistan and Turkey must not believe the lies of the MIT," HPG said.