Forty-three fighter jets took part in the air strikes on Friday and Saturday, which targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in the Zap, Avashin and Khakurk regions, the statement said.

More than 100 rebel targets, including hideouts, anti-rocket defence posts and communication centres, were destroyed and "many terrorists believed to be preparing for attacks against Turkey were rendered ineffective".

The army will continue to pursue the PKK "both at home and abroad according to military requirements," the statement added.

Turkish warplanes have been bombing PKK positions in northern Iraq since mid-December.

In February, the army conducted a week-long ground offensive against rebel hideouts in the region, where Ankara estimates more than 2,000 militants take refuge.

The Turkish government has a one-year parliamentary authorisation, which expires in October, for cross-border military action against the PKK.

The United States has backed its NATO ally Turkey by providing real-time intelligence on PKK movements in Iraq.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.