Turkish warplanes 'neutralize' over dozen PKK militants in northern Iraq

Turkey’s military says more than a dozen members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group have been killed as Turkish military aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

The Turkish General Staff, in a statement published on its official Twitter page on Sunday, announced that six armed PKK militants were "neutralized" in Gara region of northern Iraq, when they were plotting an attack on a Turkish base.

Separately, Turkish airstrikes "neutralized" eight PKK terrorists in Avasin-Basyan and Metina regions.

Moreover, a Turkish soldier lost his life and four others suffered injuries when Kurdish PKK militants detonated an improvised explosive device as the former were conducting a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq.

The injured soldiers were reportedly brought back to Turkey in a helicopter..

The Turkish military generally uses the term "neutralize" to signify that the militants were killed, captured or surrendered.

PKK militants regularly clash with Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq.

SS