Three Turkish soldiers were killed in action, four others were injured in an attack by the PKK terrorist group in northern Iraq, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said the terrorists carried out an attack against Turkish troops in the region.

The military retaliated by carrying out airstrikes on terrorist targets and their escape route, killing at least four terrorists, the ministry said.

Security forces continue to conduct counterterrorism operations in the region, the ministry added.

The PKK terrorist group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Türkiye's southern border, to plot terrorist attacks in Türkiye. The Turkish military regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq.

Türkiye has long stressed that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats.