16 PKK terrorists killed in northern Iraq airstrikes

Two Turkish soldiers were martyred and two others wounded during a counter-terrorism operation against the PKK in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said Tuesday.

The announcement by the Turkish Armed Forces followed the news of two other soldiers killed in the same operation in the Zap region.

All four were martyred by an improvised explosive device on Monday but the military did not say whether they were martyred in the same blast.

Following the incident, Turkey launched jets and armed drones around Zap, killing eight PKK terrorists, including two killed by drone.

Earlier, eight other PKK terrorists were killed in airstrikes around Zap, a mountainous area close to the Turkish border used by the terrorist group to mount raids in Turkey.

Airstrikes in northern Iraq, where the PKK has its main base along the Iranian border, and southeastern Turkey have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the PKK resumed its armed campaign.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and U.S. -- has killed more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians since taking up arms again.