ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkish warplanes and long-range missiles attacked Kurdish rebel positions in the mountains of northern Iraq near the Turkish border early Sunday, according to Turkish military officials. A Turkish commando on patrol near the Turkey-Iraq border. The air attack, which began around 1 a.m. and last for more than three hours, targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) outposts in the Qandil mountain, the statement said. Turkish ground troops launched long-range missiles at the PKK positions after the air attack, the statement said. All warplanes returned safely to their bases in Turkey, the military said. Jamal Abdullah, a spokesman for Iraq's autonomous Kurdish Regional Government said the targets of the attack appear to be PKK fighters in the border area, but there are reports of civilian casualties in nearby villages. He had no details on the casualty figures.
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The air attack targeted PKK outposts in the Qandil mountain
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Turkish troops launched long-range missiles at PKK positions after air attack
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Military: All warplanes returned safely to their bases in Turkey
Those militants have launched actions against Turkish troops from northern Iraq and have been fighting the @placeholder government forces in southeastern Turkey, where the violence has been steady.