An undated photo shows Tuba Karakoc. Source: the Anadolu Agency.
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) was responsible for a recent drone strike on northern Syria that killed Tuba Karakoc, a “financial affairs” official of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) self-administration, security sources told Turkish news outlets on May 17.
Karakoc’s vehicle was targeted by a Turkish combat drone on May 11, as it was moving on the M4 highway in the outskirts of the town of Kobane in the northern countryside of Aleppo. Kobane is a key stronghold of the SDF.
According to Turkish sources, Karakoç, also known by her codenames “Zin Kobani,” “Cudi Egid” and “Sorxwin,” joined the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 2013, participating in the activities of the terrorist-designated group in Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
Karakoc was last serving as an “accountant” of the group in Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab. An investigation by Turkish authorities found that she was looking to carry out further attacks in Turkey.
Despite being based in Syria, Karakoc frequently traveled to Iraq where the PKK has strongholds in the mountainous northern region of Syria’s neighbor.
Ankara considers the core faction of the SDF, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), to be the Syrian branch of the PKK.
Turkish combat drones targeted dozens of fighters and commanders of the SDF, YPG and PKK in Syria and Iraq over the last few years. In April, Turkish intelligence killed two commanders of the SDF, Mehmet Sari and Sabri Abdullah, in separate drone strikes on northern and eastern Syria.
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