Türkiye says it killed 13 Kurdish militants in northern Iraq

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish forces have launched air strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, killing 13 members of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The PKK fighters were “neutralized” in the Gara and Haftanin regions of northern Iraq, the ministry said in a statement. The term “neutralized” generally means killed.

The Turkish military had already carried out air strikes in northern Iraq on Friday, destroying 25 Kurdish targets, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in an earlier statement. The targets included caves, shelters, bunkers, depots and facilities.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Daren Butler, Alexandra Hudson)