ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s military said it killed around 70 militants in operations on Tuesday in Iraq’s Sinjar and northern Syria, as it stepped up a campaign against groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The military made the announcement in an official statement.

Differences over Syria policy have caused friction between the United States and Ankara. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters, part of a militia backed by Washington in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, to be a terrorist organization.