Turkish jets destroy PKK targets in northern Iraq

Turkish jets destroyed a number of PKK threats in northern Iraq, the military said on Friday.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that the airstrikes were carried out Thursday in the Hakurk and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq.

Four shelters, hideouts, and weapons pits used by the terror organization were destroyed during the airstrikes, the statement added.

It also said the separatist terror group members were preparing for an attack on Turkish patrol and bases in the region.

Airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq, where the terror group has its main base in the Mt. Qandil region, near the Iranian border, have been carried out regularly since July 2015, when the PKK resumed its armed campaign.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU. In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.

The airstrikes take place amid the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch across the Turkish border into northwestern Syria, targeting the threat of the Syrian branch of the PKK, the terrorist PYD/PKK.