A Turkish operation supported by Turkish intelligence forces has eliminated a so-called senior member of the PKK terrorist group in northern Iraq, security sources announced on Sunday.

The terrorist Izzettin Inan, code-named "Dersim Malatya," was part of the HPG, the military wing of the terrorist group, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) tracked and located the terrorist at a meeting in the Gara region.

Inan joined the PKK in the 1990s and carried out terror attacks on Turkish forces in Syria and Iraq.

He gave ideological and armed training to new recruits.

Inan replaced the terrorist Khalaf al-Muhammad, code-named "Sofi Nurettin," after he was eliminated in 2021.

Several other terrorists were eliminated in the attack targeting Inan.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.

Security forces also carry out operations abroad where the terrorist organization poses a threat. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks against Turkey.

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 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

Most recently, the Turkish military also killed nine members of the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the YPG, in northern Syria, authorities said on Friday.

The terrorists targeted were planning an attack on the Operation Peace Spring zone, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism 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).