Turkey says its planes hit PKK group in northern Iraq

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish fighter planes hit a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla base in northern Iraq, the army said on its website on Sunday.

It gave no details of casualties but said the operation late on Saturday was successful and the group of guerrillas, hiding in a cave, was preparing for an attack against Turkey.

Border guard sources in Iraq could not immediately confirm Turkish strikes. Residents in border area reported seeing warplanes but no shelling.

Fighting has intensified in southeastern Turkey in recent weeks and several Turkish soldiers have been killed by mine explosions in the mountainous region bordering northern Iraq.

Turkey's army launched a brief land offensive against the PKK in northern Iraq in February but has since confined its cross-border operations to air strikes against PKK targets.

Ankara blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 40,000 people since it launched its campaign for a Kurdish homeland in eastern Turkey in 1984.

The United States, the European Union and Turkey classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.

(Reporting by Selcuk Gokoluk; editing by Mary Gabriel)