Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq have killed 45 PKK terrorists, a military source said on Tuesday.

Nine F-16 and two F-4 jets carried out the raids on PKK positions in Qandil and Gara on March 14, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Shelters, caves and gun emplacements were destroyed.

The airstrikes came after a car bomb in Ankara that killed at least 37 people and injured 43 others.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Monday: "The Ankara blast is a step against Turkey's anti-terror operations against the PKK, DHKP-C and Daesh."

Davutoğlu said Turkey has been carrying out operations against the three terrorist groups since July 23 last year.

He said there are "almost definite findings" pointing towards PKK involvement in the Ankara attack, but added that an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.Meanwhile, security forces have conducted counter-terror operations in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakır province and killed at least three PKK terrorists.

The PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU - resumed its 30-year armed campaign against Turkey in July. Since then, more than 290 members of the security forces and thousands of terrorists have been killed.