Ankara: At least 34 militants of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq on Tuesday, according to a military statement. The Turkish security forces staged air strikes against PKK targets in Qandil Mountain in northern Iraq, leaving 34 rebels dead, read the statement released by the Turkish General Staff, Xinhua reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on August 11 to continue military operations against the PKK until its disarmament. Turkish forces bombarded the PKK camps in northern Iraq last Thursday and Friday, killing 41 rebels.
Tensions between Turkish security forces and the PKK are increasing after an Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing on July 20 killed 32 people and injured 104 others in Suruc town in Sanliurfa province bordering Syria.

Turkey has detained over 1,300 individuals with suspected ties to the IS, the PKK and leftist groups, while the military has unleashed several rounds of air strikes on PKK posts in northern Iraq.

(IANS)