erdogan turkey coup
Turkish Supporters are silhouetted against a screen showing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a pro-government demonstration in Ankara, July 17, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Turkey's military carried out air strikes against members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, killing 20 militants, broadcaster NTV said on Wednesday.

Turkey frequently launches air attacks against PKK targets in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq near the Turkish border, where the PKK leadership has camps. A ceasefire between the autonomy-seeking PKK and the state fell apart last year, triggering some of the worst violence in the three decades of the Kurdish insurgency.

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including Islamic State and the PKK. On Friday a faction of the military attempted a coup, but that later crumbled as Turks responded to a call from President Tayyip Erdogan and took to the streets in defiance of the coup.