The Iraqi foreign ministry summoned on Friday the Turkish ambassador in protest against Ankara’s air strikes against Kurdish positions in northern Iraq. The ministry said in a statement that it had rebuked Turkey over two air raids on Iraqs Sinjar and Makhmour mountains the previous night, where the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) operates. It deemed the raids a violation of national sovereignty. Hours earlier, the Turkish military said on Twitter it had killed eight fighters from the outlawed PKK in air strikes targeting the Zap, Hakurk and Haftanin regions of northern Iraq. Turkey has regularly carried out air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pursues his stated aim of ending the groups presence near Turkeys borders. Ankara has also threatened to launch a ground offensive in northern Iraq. PKK fighters in Sinjar helped liberate the mountainous northern region from ISIS in 2015. Turkey said the operation was aimed to secure its border and prevent terror attacks. Turkeys parliament in October renewed the militarys mandate to carry out cross-border operations against its enemies in Syria and Iraq. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. It has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkeys largely Kurdish southeast that has killed about 40,000 people.