At least 10 PKK terrorists were killed in counterterrorism operations northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said Friday in a statement.

The TSK said on its official Twitter account that the terrorists were targeted in northern Iraq's Hakurk and Kani Rash regions and Turkey's Hakkari province.

Among those killed was Hamza, alias Ahmet Taşçı, who falls in the gray category of the Interior Ministry's wanted list.

Wanted terrorists are categorized by different color groups – including red, blue, green, orange andgray – depending on the level of threat they pose for the country's national security. Red is considered the highest threat level.

Since March, Turkey has intensified operations against the PKK terrorist group in northern Iraq to eliminate terror threats emerging from the region, particularly in the Qandil mountains region, where the PKK headquarters are located.

Founded in 1978, the PKK has waged a decades-long bloody campaign against Turkey.

The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.

Since that time, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 1,200 security personnel and civilians, including women and children, while more than 4,000 security personnel and over 2,000 civilians have been injured.