ANKARA

Turkiye neutralized a senior PKK terrorist in northern Iraq, security sources said on Monday.

Mehmet Erdogan, codenamed Ahmet Rubar, was neutralized on May 21 by Turkish intelligence forces in Kirkuk, said a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Erdogan had overseen and directed the terror group's operations in the northern areas of Makhmur, Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk since 2021, the source added.

Having given the order for numerous terror attacks against Turkiye, he had been on the country's list of most-wanted terrorists since the 1990s.

Based in Makhmur, Erdogan used a fake ID issued for Haci Mirza Ali, the source detailed.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk