ANKARA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye launched an air operation targeting "terrorists" in the Qandil and Asos regions of northern Iraq early on Friday, the country's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The operation was carried out in the early morning to "neutralize" the terrorist elements of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other Kurdish armed groups, said the statement.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply the "terrorists" in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
A total of 16 caves, four shelters, and two material warehouses used by Kurdish militants were destroyed, it added.
"Many terrorists were neutralized, and a heavy blow was dealt to the terrorist organization in the region," said the ministry, without detailing.
The Turkish security forces often conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region holding hideouts and bases of PKK militants, from where they carry out attacks against Türkiye.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. ■
