An important member of the PKK terrorist network has been killed during an operation in July in eastern Kars province, according to a regional governor on Thursday.
In a statement, Kars Governor Rahmi Dogan said Ferit Polat, also known by his codename Taylan, was among seven terrorists killed during an air-supported counter-terrorism operation in Kagizman district on July 6.
Polat was said to be in the ‘green category’ of the Turkish Interior Ministry’s list of wanted terrorists.
The Interior Ministry’s list is divided into five color-coded categories with red designated as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and grey.
“Polat, who was a senior figure of the PKK in Erzurum-Kars-Igdir provinces, was killed along the other terrorists in Cemce Sesveren valley of the Kagizman district during the operation,” Dogan said.
More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.