Turkish Air Strikes Kill Up To 160 Kurdish Rebels: Ankara

Turkish military jets have reportedly killed up to 160 Kurdish rebels after bombing Kurd bases in northern Iraq is a series of air strikes last week.

Turkish air forces jets efficiently hit the targets of the separatist terror organization in Zap and Gara regions between August 25-28 in 21 sorties, said a statement on the Turkish army's website.

The army added it directed heavy artillery fire at 38 targets in coordination with the air operation.”

A report in Today’s Zaman, an English-language Turkish newspaper said at least 100 more Kurds were injured in the air raids.

The Turkish government has been responding to a series of violent assaults against its military by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), thereby derailing any hopes of peace talks.

Ankara’s military warned it will continue to bombard Kurdish/PKK bases in both Iraq and within Turkey itself until the rebel movement was rendered ineffective.

The Zaman report also stated that The Turkish military “insisted that all targets were carefully pinpointed through repeated reconnaissance flights before being hit and that the military had taken the necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties.”

The PKK, outlawed in Turkey, has been fighting for an independent Kurdish homeland in the southeastern portion of the vast country.