On September 24, according to the militant People's Defense Forces (Hêzên Parastina Gel-HPG), the PKK's (Kurdistan Workers' Party) military branch, the Armenian government turned over two PKK members to the Turkish government. 

Atilla Içek and Hüseyin Yıldırım, two HPG members, are said to have been deported from Armenia to Turkey. The HPG disputes Turkish media allegations that MIT, the country's intelligence agency, has carried out a successful operation abroad. The HGP refers to them only as "Leheng" and "Alişer," not by their true names. 

"Comrades Leheng and Alişer confronted forces of the Armenian state in the border region with Armenia in August 2021 and behaved responsibly to avoid a negative scenario," HPG said in a statement. "But they were taken into custody, accused, and then arrested. On February 23, 2022, the Armenian Court of Appeal heard our friends' legal arguments and decided to free them. They ought to have been freed in compliance with international and Armenian law. Instead, the Armenian secret agency kidnapped and imprisoned them. They were deported from Armenia to Turkey around a month ago, despite being guaranteed freedom after steps had been taken," the militant group said.

According to HPG, Armenia has violated international legal standards and its laws by doing this. "It is a disgrace for Armenia to hand over Kurdish revolutionaries in this manner to the state of Turkey, which is pursuing genocide. These individuals fight for the existence and freedom of their people and understand the suffering of all oppressed people. This is how our two friends have ended up in the clutches of the Turkish government. However, the operation is portrayed as a very successful MIT operation in the special war media of the Turkish state," the department added.

According to the HPG, two further people have been extradited from Iraq to Turkey. The HPG Press Office rejected Turkish media reports on a purported MIT operation in Maxmur Camp that resulted in the apprehension of two PKK militants in a statement on September 14. According to the statement, the claim by the Turkish special war media lacked any foundation. It was created to depict Turkish intelligence as effective and to divert attention from the army's significant casualties in the fight in Kurdistan. Hatip and Aria, the two individuals who were purportedly abducted, had previously cut ties with the Kurdish independence organization in July. The Maxmur People's Council also endorsed this. According to the HPG, these individuals were in possession of the Iraqi government, which then deported them to Turkey due to profit motives. The HPG statement stated that the Kurdish and Turkish populations should not buy into MIT's claims. 

After Turkish media claimed that the two Kurdish militants had been detained there and Kurdish organizations accused the Armenian government of betrayal, Armenia denied handing the men over to Turkey. The Armenian National Security Services responded to criticism by denying any role in the claimed handover, saying that it was outside the realm of their power. Shortly later, the Ministry of Justice reiterated that it had the right to hand over foreign inmates to their country of citizenship while still rejecting the transfer. On September 26, the Ministry said that the two Kurdish fighters had been listed as sought because they were scheduled to appear in additional court procedures, and it was unclear where they were.

According to Anadolu Agency, the official state-run media, the two Kurdish fighters were terrorists sought by Turkish police. According to the agency, Içek participated in two attacks on Turkish forces in the years 2012 and 2020, each of which resulted in the deaths of two soldiers. It was alleged that Yıldırım participated in anti-Turkish actions in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish state officials have not formally reacted to the story. However, several well-known media sites have asserted that they have information verifying the arrest of the fighters. Hürriyet said that the two Kurds were apprehended during a special intelligence operation along Turkey's eastern border with Armenia but did not mention Armenia's involvement in the handover.