Security forces have eliminated a so-called high-level PKK terrorist responsible for the Zagros region in northern Iraq, the defense ministry announced Friday.

The terrorist Ferit Yüksel, code-named Şerzan Mava, was eliminated in the Claw-Lock Operation area.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock last year to target the PKK terrorist group's hideouts in the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, near the Turkish border. Two operations preceded it – Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle – launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding north of Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Türkiye.

The Turkish army aims to cut off supplies and the operational area for the terrorist group, whose leadership hides in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq. Turkish airstrikes have frequently hit the Qandil area in the last decades, yet, ground operations have been scarce due to immediate security risks.

The Turkish army maintains several outposts across the border and in Iraq's north in line with its self-defense rights under United Nations regulations against terrorism.