Ankara  - Turkish warplanes bombed suspected positions of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Tuesday, the general army staff in Ankara has reported.

The military statement said that the attacks took place in the Qandil mountains, inside Iraq and near to the Iranian border.

Turkish authorities believe the area to be the main hideout of PKK fighters, who have launched repeated attacks from there against the Turkish military.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and US. It has been fighting for independence or greater autonomy for the Kurdish parts of Turkey since the 1980s.

The Turkish Army says that at least 35,000 people have died in the fighting since then. (dpa)