Security forces killed a PKK terrorist on the most wanted list during a counterterrorism operation in eastern Tunceli province, local officials said on Tuesday.

Gendarmerie forces launched an operation in a rural area of the Hozat district on Tuesday evening and killed the terrorist following a clash with members of the terrorist group, the Tunceli governor's office said in a statement. The exact date of the operation was not mentioned. The terrorist was identified as Mustafa Şeker, codenamed Berhudar-Genco.

Şeker was in the grey category of the Interior Ministry's list of wanted terrorists, said the statement.

Wanted terrorists are categorized by different color groups - red, blue, green, orange and gray - depending on the level of threat they pose for the country's national security. Red is considered the highest threat level. The red category includes figures such as U.S.-based Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) leader Fetullah Gülen, PKK senior figures Cemil Bayık, Murat Karayılan and Duran Kalkan and Daesh-linked İlhami Balı.

Earlier in May, the Interior Ministry announced that about 150 terrorists were killed in operations conducted between Sept. 1, 2016 and April 30, 2018 in eastern and southeastern provinces, including Hakkari, Bitlis, Tunceli, Şırnak and Diyarbakır, where the group has attempted to establish a strong presence and bases.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, a group listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.