A wanted PKK terrorist was killed in an operation carried out by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in northern Iraq, a security source confirmed Tuesday.

Hizret Çalkın, codenamed Dıhlaz, was in the gray category on the Interior Ministry's Most Wanted Terrorist List, the source told Anadolu Agency (AA), requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The Interior Ministry's wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red marking the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray, depending on the degree of their criminal activity.

Çalkın joined the terrorist group in 2011 and was active in Turkey for a few years before fleeing to Syria in 2014.

He was responsible for the movement of PKK terrorists between Iraq and Syria, according to the source.

Turkish intelligence tracked his activities, before killing Çalkın and several other terrorists during a meeting in northern Iraq, the source added.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases, from where they carry out attacks in Turkey.

The PKK terrorist group managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in mid-2014, on the pretext that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh. Since then, the PKK has reportedly established a new base in Sinjar for its logistical and command-and-control activities.

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 and children.