Hours earlier, the Turkish military said on Twitter it had killed eight militants from the PKK in air strikes targeting the Zap, Hakurk and Haftanin regions of northern Iraq, Reuters reported.

Turkey has regularly carried out air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq, as President Tayyip Erdogan pursues his stated aim of ending the militant group’s presence near Turkey’s borders.

Ankara has also threatened to launch a ground offensive in northern Iraq.

Reporter’s code: 50101