Turkish jets bomb PKK targets in northern Iraq: State media

Turkish jets bombed Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Monday, as Ankara pressed its military operation against Islamic State and a Syrian Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria, state media said.

Turkish air force jets launched strikes between 9.30am and 10.55am GMT against targets of the "separatist terrorist organisation" in Gara in northern Iraq, Anadolu news agency said, referring to the outlawed PKK.

The targets were "destroyed", Anadolu added. 

The PKK is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States and its command is based in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq.

A two-year ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK collapsed last year, after which Kurdish rebels launched frequent attacks on security forces in the restive southeast.

Since Wednesday, Turkey has been conducting an operation in Syria against IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkish forces ostensibly entered Syria with the purpose of clearing the border town of Jarabulus of IS militants, who have been responsible for attacks within Turkey. However, officials said they would also be targeting the YPG, which the Turkish government sees as an offshoot of the PKK.

On Monday, Erdogan said that the YPG would be a target of Turkish military operations in Syria to prevent "terror activity" near the Turkish border.

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria," Erdogan told a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep.

"For the issue of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," he added, referring to the YPG's political wing.

Over the weekend, Turkish forces also crossed over the border into the town of Kobane, the town which made headlines in early 2015 after it was recaptured from IS by the YPG with US air support.

The air strikes in northern Iraq were the first since the Syria operation began on Wednesday.