ANKARA

Two PKK terrorists were neutralized in an airstrike by Turkish forces in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The terrorists were targeted in an airstrike carried out in Iraq’s Avasin region as part of Turkey’s Operation Pence-Yildirim, the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish authorities use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

The PKK terror group often uses bases in northern Iraq, just across Turkey’s southern border, to hide and plot terror attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.