Turkey says it killed 12 Kurdish militants in northern Iraq

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military has "neutralised" 12 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Turkey, which typically uses the term "neutralised" to mean killed, has been carrying out a cross-border operation called Claw-Lock in Iraq as part of the country's offensive against PKK militants.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

(Reporting by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Helen Popper)