Turkish warplanes destroy terrorist PKK targets in northern Iraq

Turkish warplanes destroyed PKK terrorist targets in northern Iraq on Saturday, the military said.

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said four F-16 and six F-4 jets carried out the raids on positions in Sinath, Haftanin and Metina between midnight and 2 a.m. local time (2100 and 2300GMT Friday). A pair of F-16s later attacked targets in Metina.

The statement did not provide detail on the number or nature of the targets.

The Turkish government has intensified its counterterror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey.

Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000's. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey.

Since then, more than 400 members of the security forces have been martyred and more than 3,700 PKK terrorists killed.