Three Turkish soldiers died Thursday in an attack in northern Iraq launched by outlawed Kurdish militants, prompting a retaliatory air strike, the Turkish defence ministry said.

"Three of our heroic soldiers were killed in an attack staged by the terrorists in the north of Iraq," the ministry said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"There's an ongoing operation in the region."

Turkish forces routinely conduct military strikes against PKK hideouts in the mountains of northern Iraq, causing strains in its relations with the central Iraqi government in Baghdad.

Turkey launched its latest major air and ground offensive in April, targeting rear bases Kurdish militants have used to wage a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey also has a military presence in neighbouring Syria, where it has seized swathes of territory in successive military operation since 2016 that have mostly targeted another Kurdish rebel group.

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Motorbike bombing in Iraq's Basra targeted officer: PM
Baghdad (AFP) Dec 8, 2021
A deadly motorcycle bombing in the southern Iraqi city of Basra this week targeted an intelligence officer in the security services, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi said on Wednesday. The officer in question, who worked for the intelligence, was investigating targeted killings of activists, a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP. At least four civilians were killed and four others wounded in Tuesday's motorcycle bombing near a hospital in central Basra. The attack has n ... read more