<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Turkey says it has carried out a number of air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, hours after a suicide blast hit the interior ministry.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government said 20 targets were destroyed and many militants from the banned PKK rebel group "neutralised".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PKK said Sunday morning's bombing in the capital, Ankara, was carried out by a group linked to them, a member of which blew himself up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A second attacker was killed by police and two police officers were injured.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is considered a terror group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sunday's air strikes targeted caves, depots and bunkers used by the PKK, Turkey's defence ministry said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AFP quoted it as saying the operation was "to neutralise the PKK and other terrorist elements, prevent terrorist attacks from northern Iraq against our population and our law enforcement agencies, and ensure the security of our borders".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Kurdish news agency Rudaw said the strikes targeted Mount Qandil near the Iranian border, believed to be a PKK stronghold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were carried out following an explosion on Ankara's Ataturk Boulevard that happened hours before parliament was due to reconvene after a summer break.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Immortals Battalion - the group that claimed responsibility - said this is why they targeted the ministry, which is close to parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The incident began at around 09:30 (06:30 GMT) when one of the attackers exited their car and threw a small explosive at the ministry building to distract security.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After this, the second attacker opened fire at guards by the ministry gate, before detonating a suicide bomb.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first person, meanwhile, ran into the compound and was immediately shot dead by police.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two officers were injured. One was shot in the chest and another suffered injuries in both legs and an eye.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters that none of the injuries were life-threatening.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A senior Turkish security official told the BBC the attackers had hijacked their vehicle on Saturday in Kayseri, a city some 260 km (161 miles) south-east of Ankara.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They reportedly shot dead the car's driver, a 24-year-old veterinarian who was driving in the countryside.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The official said footage from security cameras from Kayseri to the Syrian border were being reviewed to determine where the suspects came from. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>