Turkish air strikes hit Kurdish militant targets (Representational image)

Turkish air strikes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq, Ankara's defence ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said on Twitter that "nine terrorists were neutralised" in air strikes in the Hakurk and Hafta regions.

There were earlier strikes, announced late Monday, in the northern Iraqi region of Gara, where "three terrorists were neutralised".

The strikes were part of regular raids against Kurdish militants in Iraq and unrelated to planned operations against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Turkey started a ground offensive and bombing campaign against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq last May.

The PKK, which has been fighting an insurgency in Turkey since 1984, has rear bases in northern Iraq. It is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Ankara and its Western allies.

Turkey says it will soon launch an offensive against Syrian Kurdish forces, which are tied to the PKK.

The defence ministry said Tuesday that preparations were complete for an operation after Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the border region.