Turkish airstrikes destroyed 41 PKK targets in northern Iraq on Tuesday. (Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish airstrikes destroyed 41 targets linked to the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the General Staff said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the airstrikes were launched late Monday in northern Iraq's Asos region near the mountainous border with Turkey, destroying 41 targets, including shelters, hideouts and tunnels used by the illegal group.

All fighter jets and combat drones used during the operation have safely returned to their bases, it added.

The statement didn't release the number of casualties of PKK militants.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has been striving for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state by armed combat since 1970s.

According to local media, the PKK has been responsible for the death of over 1,200 security personnel and civilians, since it resumed armed campaign against the Turkish government in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.