Turkey hits Kurdish rebels twice in two days

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Turkey on Monday bombed suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq for a second day, an Iraqi official told CNN.

Turkish warplanes and artillery units bombed suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, positions in villages near Amadi in Iraq's Duhuk Province, a Kurdish Regional Government security official said.

Monday's operation started at 10 a.m. and lasted for two hours, the official said. There have been no reports of civilian casualties in either incident, he said. It is unclear if any PKK rebels had been killed or wounded.

It is the latest assault by Turkey's military against the PKK in response to clashes October 4 that killed at least 15 Turkish troops in the Turkey-Iraq border region.

Late Friday and early Saturday, Turkish warplanes hit 31 targets in the PKK region of northern Iraq, "successfully completed the operation (and) safely returned to their bases," the Turkish military said.

Turkish artillery shells also hit border villages in the Zakho area, targeting PKK positions for about an hour Saturday afternoon, according to Iraqi Kurdish Regional Security Forces spokesman Jabbar Yawer.

The central Iraqi government has labeled the PKK a terrorist organization, banning its activities and closing its offices in the country two years ago. The United States and the European Union also consider the PKK a terrorist group.

Though the Iraqi government opposes the PKK, the organization continues to operate in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq bordering Turkey and Iran. The separatist faction has been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey.

The Iraqi Kurdish Regional Security Forces provide security for Iraq's Kurdish regional government.

CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

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