The Turkish military announced Monday that its warplanes launched an airstrike on a group of the militants of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) on Mount Buzul in the southeastern province of Hakkari.
The Turkish General Staff said in a statement posted on its website that the armed forces launched the raid while continuing their operations in pursuit of the PKK rebels, who partook in Friday's attack on Aktutun Military Border Station in the province of Hakkari.
"The operations that were carried out only targeted the PKK terrorist organization and necessary precaution was shown to avoid civilian casualties," said the statement, adding "the planes have all returned to their bases safely."
The Turkish military has earlier reported that 15 of its soldiers were killed on Friday afternoon when the PKK based in northern Iraq attacked Aktutun Gendarmerie Border Unit in Semdinli town in Hakkari, while 23 PKK militants were also killed in the clashes.
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 northern Iraq. In February, it also launched an eight-day cross-border ground incursion against PKK rebels.
Source:Xinhua
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