By Xinhua,
Ankara : Turkish military said its warplanes bombed targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party(PKK) in north Iraq and in southeastern Turkey early Tuesday morning.
The Turkish General Staff said in a statement posted on its website that Turkish warplanes bombed as much as 21 PKK terrorist targets in Avashin-Basyan area in north Iraq, and on Mount Buzul and Mount Iki Yaka in southeastern Turkey.
“The planes have all returned to their bases safely,” added the statement.
The Turkish military has earlier reported that 17 of its soldiers were killed on Friday afternoon when the PKK based in northern Iraq attacked Aktutun Gendarmerie Border Unit in Semdinlitown in the province of Hakkari, while 23 PKK militants were also killed in the clashes.
The anger of the Turkish people is mounting after the deadliest attack happened in the year and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the powerful military have pledged to intensify a campaign to crush the outlawed PKK.
Turkish mourners booed Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul during funerals on Sunday for some of the soldiers killed. Thousands of Turkish people poured into the streets across the country in mourning by waving Turkish flags.
The PKK took up arms in 1984 with the aim of creating an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the over-two-decade conflict.
Ankara has conducted frequent air raids on suspected positions of the PKK in north Iraq. In February, it also launched an eight-day cross-border ground incursion against PKK rebels.