Turkish attacks kill 22 PKK rebels

ANKARA, Turkey, July 16 (UPI) -- Turkish ground and air forces killed 22 members of the rebel Kurdistan Worker' Party, including a senior member of the group, officials said.

During the past five days, the military initiated several airstrikes and one ground offensive in Turkey against the Kurdish rebel militia based in northern Iraq, resulting in the militants' deaths, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported.

While noting that a senior leader died in the skirmishes, the Turkish military didn't identify the person or the circumstances surrounding the death, the newspaper said.

Military officials said in a statement hideouts, weapons and ammunition were destroyed in the latest operation against the group, also known by the initials PKK.

The PKK uses its bases in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq to attack Turkish targets. Last week, the group kidnapped three German mountain-climbers from Mount Agri in eastern Turkey to protest recent European measures to counter its activities, Today's Zaman reported.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.