Commando units and special forces backed by unmanned aerial vehicles and attack helicopters involved in the Operation Claw-Lock are pounding Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) hideouts in Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions in northern Iraq, Akar said.

Designated as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

Turkey routinely carries out attacks in Iraq, where the PKK has bases and training camps in the Sinjar region and on the mountainous border with Turkey.

"Our heroic pilots successfully struck shelters, caves, tunnels and ammunition depots belonging to the terrorist organisation," Akar said.

He would not say how many troops were involved in the operation which he said started Sunday night.

The defence ministry said the operation started after it was found that the PKK was planning a large-scale attack against Turkey.

The latest raids come on the heels of Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle launched by the Turkish army in northern Iraq in 2020.