In a new offensive, Turkish military forces struck a dozen suspected targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The air and ground offensive, codenamed Operation Claw Lock, began in Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan in Iraqi Kurdistan in the early hours of Monday. Sharing images from the operation, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkish jets have struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and the military headquarters of the PKK. The separatist group uses its bases in northern Iraq to stage attacks on Turkey. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey as well as the United States and the European Union.

“The operation was launched to fend off a large-scale attack by the PKK, which was regrouping and establishing new bases in certain areas of northern Iraq,” Omer Celik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said at a press conference late Monday.

“Ideally, our neighboring countries should be able to oust the terrorist groups from their territory themselves,” Celik said in an apparent reference to Syria as well as Iraq. “But since they do not appear to be able to do that, we have to protect our people, based on the right of self-protection enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter.”