Turkish army says offensive in Iraq over

Turkish soldiers return from their mission near the town of Cukurca near the Iraq-Turkey border. The Turkish offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq has "achieved its objective" and the troops have begun returning home, the military said in a statement. (AFP)

The Turkish offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq "achieved its objective" and the troops began returning home on Friday morning, the military said.

"The objectives set at the start of the operation have been achieved and our forces... returned to their home bases as of Friday morning," a statement from the chief of staff said.

The separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) "was shown that northern Iraq is not a safe region for them," it said.

At least 240 PKK militants were killed, the statement said, putting army losses at 27.