ANKARA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish air force neutralized at least 18 Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq during the weekend, according to the military.

In a Twitter post on Sunday, the Turkish General Staff said airstrikes carried out on Saturday in the Hakurk and Zap regions of northern Iraq neutralized at least four PKK militants and destroyed their shelters and ammunition depots.

A day earlier, the Turkish military said in two separate statements that at least 14 PKK militants were neutralized in air operations conducted in northern Iraq.

The Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply the militants in question surrendered, were killed or were captured.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has been striving for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state by armed rebellion since the 1970s.

Since the beginning of the year, Turkey has intensified its airstrikes and land operations to fight PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.