The bombardments on the outlawed PKK rebels came in response to their bloody attack in southeast Turkey which killed nine members of the Turkish security forces a day earlier.

"The bombing started again around 10 minutes ago," Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) spokesman Dozdar Hammo told AFP at 11:00 pm (2000 GMT). He said the bombings were targeting rebel bases in the Qandil, al-Zab and Khowakirk areas near Iraq's border with Turkey.

Hammo said no casualties had resulted from the raid, or earlier ones on Thursday morning and Wednesday night.

It is the first time in more than a year that the Turkish military has carried out air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq.

The strikes followed the deadly attack on Wednesday in the town of Cukurca in the southeast of the country claimed by the PKK, which is branded a terrorist group by Turkey as well as the European Union and United States.

Thursday's operation targeted a PKK command post on Mount Qandil, near the border with Iran, pro-Kurdish Firatnews said.

According to the IHA press agency, 16 F-16 fighter jets took off at 19H00 GMT from bases in Turkey and headed to northern Iraq.

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