ANKARA / WASHINGTON 

Turkish warplanes “neutralized” 29 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq on Sunday, the military said in a statement Thursday.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said 29 terrorists were killed in the country's Zap region.

The airstrikes also destroyed 12 targets, shelters, and weapon emplacements.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question were captured or in this case killed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. It resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015 against the Turkish state.

Over 1,100 people, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives in PKK attacks in Turkey since the terrorist organization resumed its decades-old campaign in July 2015.

Since then, PKK attacks have left 793 security personnel martyred and 314 civilians, including women and children, dead. Over 4,000 security personnel and over 2,000 civilians have been injured.

Also, more than 10,000 PKK terrorists have been killed or apprehended in anti-terror operations. Around 5,500 weapons, 652,000 rounds of ammunition, 142 tons of explosives, and 15,000 bombs have been seized.

The terrorist group has been trying to create a foothold in the north eastern Iraqi region of Sinjar since the area was cleared of Daesh in late 2014.

Both Turkey and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government have vowed to deny PKK and its affiliates of a safe haven in that region.

The U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby also supported Turkey’s position saying that the terror group has “no role” Sinjar.

Responding to a question, Kirby said the PKK is a designated terrorist group and should withdraw from Sinjar city.

Kirby also characterized PKK presence there “as a major obstacle to reconciliation”.

“We urge all grounds, including the KRG, to facilitate political reconciliation so that these internally displaced people can return, and the traumatized communities in that region can rebuild,” Kirby added.