Twelve Turkish soldiers were killed in the past 48 hours in two separate attacks on Turkish military bases in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said.

“Our six heroic comrades were martyred in clashes with the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate a base,” according to the ministry.

In the morning, Ankara had announced that six other soldiers were killed in northern Iraq in an attack attributed to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.

According to Turkish media, the bases that were targeted are located in Hakurk and Zap.

In response, the Turkish military launched airstrikes against PKK targets, “neutralizing” 13 of his fighters.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced that the army would carry out operations against “terrorists” in northern Iraq and Syria. “The evil separatists they will give an account for the blood they spilled”, he emphasized. “We will continue to resolutely implement our strategy, aiming to eliminate terrorism at its source, until the last terrorist is eliminated,” he added.