News / Turkey

Turkey warplanes bomb PKK positions in northern Iraq

Sunday, 08 May 2016 5:28 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 08 May 2016 5:25 PM ]

The file photo shows a Turkish fighter jet flying above the Incirlik airbase, southern Turkey. ©AP

Turkish jets have bombed the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, military sources say.

The Turkish air force conducted airstrikes in four regions in northern Iraq, including Qandil, early on Sunday, destroying ammunition depots, gun installations and bunkers.

The F-16 and F-4 2020 returned home safely after launching the attacks, the sources added.

The Turkish military has been pounding PKK positions in northern Iraq in breach of the country’s sovereignty since a ceasefire between Ankara and the group collapsed last July.

Ankara has also been engaged in a large-scale anti-PKK campaign in its southern border region over the past few months.

On Saturday, Turkish forces killed 12 PKK fighters in the country’s Mardin, Sirnak and Tunceli provinces, the military said in a statement. Some 11 militants were also arrested in military operations in Hakkari province, it added.

Also on Sunday, a bomb blast took place in Turkey’s southeastern city of Nusaybin, killing at least two soldiers. Another soldier was also injured in the explosion that military officials blamed on the PKK.

Turkey’s operations against the militant group came after last July bombing in the southern town of Suruc. Over 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accuse the Turkish government of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations.

The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has left more than 40,000 people dead

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