ANKARA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish military launched an airstrike on the targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq in the wake of the killing of one Turkish soldier on Thursday.
The soldier was killed after the PKK opened fire on Turkey's Operation Claw-Lock military zone in northern Iraq, the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement.
Subsequently, the Turkish military launched an airstrike at the PKK targets in the region and killed 14 members of the group, the ministry said in a separate statement.
In April, Turkey launched a ground and air military offensive named Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq against the PKK targets in Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan.
Turkey has "neutralized" more than 100 PKK members as part of the ongoing operation in northern Iraq, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters on Wednesday.
Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" to imply "terrorists" were killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.
Turkey regularly conducts cross-border operations against the PKK bases in northern Iraq.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than 30 years.
Iraq has repeatedly condemned the Turkish operation on its land as a violation of its sovereignty.
