Ankara - Turkish warplanes hit suspected Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday, the second bombing run in two days, according to the Turkish military.

According to a short statement on the official website of the General Staff, war planes at around midday bombed suspected Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) positions in the Kandil region of northern Iraq, near the Iraqi border with Iran.

"After successfully completing their missions, our planes returned safely to their bases," the statement said.

The statement said the only aim of the raids were PKK targets and that precautions were taken not to harm civilians.

The PKK uses mountainous northern Iraq as a base from which to launch attacks inside Turkey.

Ankara blames the separatist group for the deaths of more than 35,000 people since the early 1980s when the PKK began its fight for independence or autonomy for the mainly Kurdish-populated south-east of Turkey.

The PKK is considered by the United States and the European Union to be a terrorist group. (dpa)