Shafaq News/ Turkey carried out air strikes in northern Syria and Iraq, hitting 25 Kurdish militant targets, the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The operations were conducted in northern Syria and Metina, Hakurk and Qandil regions of northern Iraq at 9 p.m. (1800 GMT), the ministry said.

The defence ministry said many militants were "neutralised" - a term mostly used to mean killed - in air strikes that destroyed 25 targets consisting of caves, shelters and depots.

Nine Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash on Friday with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).