Turkish Warplanes Bomb Kurdish Hideouts in Northern Iraq

Turkish warplanes have struck three locations in northern Iraq, believed to be Kurdish rebel hideouts, the army said in a statement Monday.

The army command said it hit "three shelters belonging to the separatist terrorist organization," referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels, after exploratory flights located the hideouts on June 26-30.

The jets have safely returned to their bases in Turkey, the statement added.

The air strike follows two others since a rebel attack on an army outpost near the Iraqi border last month killed eight Turkish soldiers and wounded another 19. Local officials said around 20 rebels were killed in the attack.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms in the Kurdish-majority southeast Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.