Turkey launches new operation against the Kurdish PKK in northern Iraq

Turkey has launched a new military operation against alleged Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq with a ground military incursion supported by air strikes, the government said Wednesday in Ankara.

"Operation 'Tiger Paw' continues successfully according to plans," the Ministry of Defense said on Twitter. "Before the air offensive, our artillery units stationed in the area launched heavy fire against the identified targets and all were fully hit," he added. 

According to CNNtürk news on Wednesday, the Turkish army has reportedly established a temporary military base in the area to continue its operation against the PKK. 

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry had called the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest against the bombing in the north of the country, which would also have affected areas where civilians live. 

In recent years, Turkey has made numerous military incursions, on land and by air, into northern Iraq, whose government has repeatedly called for an end of these bombings. Tension remains high in the face of the presence of Kurdish guerrillas that Ankara is also pursuing in neighbouring nations.

The Turkish Ministry of Defence on Wednesday stressed its "right to self-defence" in order to "guarantee the security" of Turkey's citizens and secure the country's borders. 

The PKK, considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the European Union, is supported by some Kurdish factions in Iraq, but not by the authorities of the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region.