Turkey launches cross-border attack on Kurdish militants

Defence minister Hulusi Akar said the offensive had been successful (Olivier Matthys/AP)

Turkey has launched a ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, the country’s defence minister announced.

Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and commando troops — supported by helicopters and drones — then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Hulusi Akar said.