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

A statement on the ministry’s website said Turkish fighter jets had targeted suspected PKK positions in a bid to “neutralize” six militants. ”

Turkish forces routinely carry out military strikes against PKK strongholds in the mountains of northern Iraq, which has strained relations with the central Iraqi government in Baghdad. Turkey launched its latest air and ground operation in April, targeting the rear bases of Kurdish fighters who have been waging an armed uprising against the Turkish state for decades.

The armed conflict has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984.

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

In October, the Turkish parliament approved an extension of military operations in Syria and Iraq for another two years.