ANKARA

Turkish fighter jets hit 14 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, an official from the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Monday.

An air operation in the Zap region late Sunday neutralized terrorists who were hiding out in a cave, Col. Tamer Zincir told reporters in the capital Ankara.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including many women and children.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev