Turkish security forces destroyed seized improvised explosive devices (IED) in northern Iraq Sunday, as part of the country's ongoing counterterror Operation Claw-3.

"In line with the successfully ongoing Operation Claw-3, a total of four IEDs were destroyed," the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. On Aug. 23, Turkey launched Operation Claw-3 in northern Iraq to battle the PKK terror group; dozens of terrorists and terror posts have been neutralized so far. The main objectives of the operation are to facilitate border security, neutralize terrorists, and destroy caves and shelters in Sinat-Haftanin region in northern Iraq, according to an earlier statement by the ministry. Turkey's fighter jets, armed and reconnaissance drones and self-propelled howitzers are used to monitor and hit terrorists, who often use northern Iraq as a base to plan cross-border terror acts in Turkey. The first Operation Claw, which was launched on May 27, aimed to prevent the infiltration of PKK terrorists onto Turkish soil from Hakurk and spoil their settlement plans in the area.