Turkish intelligence has "neutralized" a senior Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader in northeastern Syria, according to security sources. The operation was conducted by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in Qamishli and reported by Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

Ali Dincer, who was wanted by Interpol with a red notice and codenamed "Orhan Bingol," was neutralized in the operation. Dincer joined the PKK in 1991 and was allegedly responsible for several "acts of terrorism," including the 2007 attack on the Commando Battalion in Hakkari, which killed 12 soldiers and wounded 16 others, and the 2008 attack on the Aktutun Gendarmerie Station in Hakkari.

Dincer began his activities in Bingol in 1991 and was the so-called head of the division in the Erzurum-Tunceli countryside between 1992 and 1999. During this period, he received training from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

In a related operation, Turkish security forces neutralized seven PKK members in northern Syria's Operation Euphrates Shield zone. The National Defense Ministry confirmed this operation on Wednesday.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched several anti-PKK operations across its border in northern Syria, including Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring. These operations aim to eliminate PKK strongholds in the region.

The PKK, designated a “terrorist organization” by Turkey, began its armed struggle against the Turkish state in 1984 and maintains strongholds in the mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region. These areas are frequently targeted by Turkish airstrikes and artillery attacks, leading to civilian casualties and the abandonment of numerous villages and agricultural lands.