Turkish security forces supported by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Saturday eliminated a PKK terrorist in Syria who was among the perpetrators of an attack in Istanbul in 2008, according to security sources.

The terrorist Nusret Tebiş, code-named "Rüstem," was found hiding in an apartment in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of the Turkish border.

The fugitive, who featured on Turkey's most wanted terrorists list, is facing 18 aggravated life sentences and a total of 1,258 years in prison.

Tebiş joined the terrorist organization in 1995 from Turkey's eastern Siirt province and had reportedly fled to northern Iraq after the 2008 terrorist attack in Istanbul's Güngören district.

On July 27, 2008, the terror group targeted civilians in Güngören by detonating two bombs planted in garbage containers when the evening streets were packed with people. The deadly explosions killed 18 civilians and wounded at least 154 others.

Moreover, Turkish security forces eliminated five YPG/PKK terrorists near the Turkish border in northern Syria, authorities said on Sunday.

The terrorists were planning an attack on the Operation Peace Spring zone before the security forces "neutralized" them, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.