Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has neutralised terrorist Erdinc Bolcal, codenamed Ali Xebat, the so-called responsible for the Silan Guyi Academy of the PKK terror group.

Erdinc Bolcal, who was neutralised in a pinpoint operation in Sulaymaniyah, provided ideological and military training to terrorists who would participate in actions carried out by the PKK against Türkiye and Turkish security forces in Iraq, security sources said on Monday.

Bolcal provided ideological training in major cities such as Istanbul and Izmir on behalf of the PKK terrorist organisation and was also involved in propaganda and pressure campaigns targeting youth to recruit them into the rural ranks of the terror group.

After an extended period of operating on behalf of the organisation, the terrorist Bolcal infiltrated northern Iraq, where he commenced engaging in armed activities with a sense of responsibility.

He engaged in activities as the so-called battalion commander and academy responsible in the Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk areas.

Through the intelligence network of the Turkish MIT, it was determined that the terrorist was in preparation for an attack against the Turkish presence in Kirkuk, the sources said.

Türkiye would pay “whatever the cost” to prevent terror

Since the PKK terrorist attack on Friday, which killed 12 Turkish soldiers, Turkish air strikes have destroyed dozens of terror targets in northern Iraq and Syria.

With the latest anti-terror action, a total of 56 terrorists have been neutralised.

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Türkiye would pay “whatever the cost” to prevent the emergence of a "terrorist structure" in northern Iraq and Syria.

The National Defence Ministry also announced on Monday that Turkish security forces have neutralised 26 more PKK terrorists in northern Syria and Iraq.

PKK terrorists often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye. It also has a Syrian branch known as the YPG.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to target the PKK terror group’s hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.​​​​​​​