A total of 11 PKK militants were killed during Turkish anti-terror operations in Northern Iraq's Avashin and Basyan areas and Turkey's eastern Erzincan province early Thursday.

Six terrorists were killed in the Avashin and Basyan regions, while five were killed in the Refahiye district of Erzincan province.

Along with the terrorists, caves and shelters were also destroyed by Turkish warplanes, which returned back to their bases safely after the operation.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. In over 30 years of violence against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.

The group uses northern Iraq's mountainous border region to launch attacks on Turkey and has its main base at Mt. Qandil, near the Iraq-Iran border.