ANKARA — Turkey carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq late Wednesday, the first of their kind since Baghdad designated the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a banned organization. 

Headquartered in northern Iraq, the PKK has been waging an armed campaign against Turkey for Kurdish-self rule inside Turkey since 1984.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said that aircraft struck targets in Metina, Gara, Hakurk, Qandil and Asos in northern Iraq, destroying caves, bunkers, shelters and facilities that were assessed to be used by militants including high-level commanders of the outlawed group. 

The statement read that “37 targets were eliminated” and “many terrorists were neutralized” in the strikes. There was no confirmation from the PKK.