Turkish security forces have eliminated three terrorists in southeastern Şırnak province as part of Operation Eren-13, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, an operation was carried out by the regional gendarmerie forces in the Bestler Dereler region of Şırnak with the support of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The ministry added that operations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, security forces also eliminated a wanted terrorist in a domestic counterterrorism operation in southeastern Turkey, the Interior Ministry said a day earlier.

Süleyman Öztürk, code-named Cilo, was killed in an air-backed operation by the provincial gendarmerie forces in the rural areas of Mardin province's Nusaybin district as part of Operation Eren-5, the ministry said in a statement.

A member of a separatist organization, Öztürk was on the gray category of the Interior Ministry's wanted list, the statement added. The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.

In January, Turkey launched Operation Eren, named after Eren Bülbül, a 15-year-old killed by the PKK terrorist organization on Aug. 11, 2017. The operation aims to eliminate the group and clear the region of terrorists.

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.

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.