ANKARA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has launched airstrikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The operation, dubbed Winter Eagle, was aimed at destroying shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots, headquarters, and training camps in areas of Derik, Sincar, and Karacak, according to the ministry.
Turkish warplanes returned to their bases safely after the military operation, according to the statement, which did not specify the number of casualties.
The airstrikes aimed at "neutralizing terrorist elements in order to eradicate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces from the north of Iraq and Syria and to ensure our border security," said the statement.
The word "neutralize" is often used by Turkish authorities to refer to "terrorists" killed, wounded, or arrested during security operations.
Turkey has carried out a number of ground operations and airstrikes in northern Iraq in the past to target hideouts and bases of the PKK, a group outlawed by Turkey as a terror organization seeking autonomy in the southeastern part of the country.
The YPG is seen by Ankara as the PKK's Syrian branch. Turkish forces and YPG members frequently exchange fire on the Syrian border. ■