Turkey destroys 28 PKK targets near Iranian border in N. Iraq
An aerial view of the Metina region during an operation by Turkish security forces in northern Iraq, Aug. 27, 2015. (IHA Photo)


Twenty-Eight terrorist targets determined in northern Iraq’s Assos region were eliminated through an air operation in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry in a written statement said that 28 terrorist targets including shelters, ammunition depots, so-called headquarters and caves were destroyed with an air operation including more than 20 planes.

The Turkish military regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats.

Turkey launched Operations Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt on April 23 in northern Iraq’s Metina and Avaşin-Basyan regions near its borders.

Numerous PKK terrorist hideouts and bases are located in northern Iraq, from where they carry out attacks on Turkey.