Turkey launched deadly airstrikes over northern regions of Syria and Iraq, targeting Kurdish groups that Ankara holds responsible for last week's bomb attack in Istanbul.
The ministry said in a statement that warplanes attacked bases of the PKK and the Kurds in Syria.
The ministry said that Turkey has a right to self defense under the UN charter. Areas were being targeted because they were used as a base by terrorists in their attacks.
The air attacks have been accused of killing civilians.
Six people were killed and over 80 others were wounded when a bomb exploded in the heart of Istanbul. Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the PKK and the Kurds in Syria. Kurdish militant groups denied being involved.
The PKK is considered a terror group by Ankara and the US. The Kurdish People's Protection Units have been allied with the US in the battle against the Islamic State group.
The PKK has been fighting in Turkey for over 25 years. Since then, tens of thousands of people have died.
The Defense Ministry posted a photo of an F-16 fighter plane with the phrase "Payback time!" The scoundrels are being held responsible for their actions. According to the news agency, drones were launched from Batman while F-16s took off.
A large number of terrorists were killed in strikes that ranged from Tall Rifat in northwest Syria to the Qandil mountains in Iraq's northeast, according to the ministry.
The defense minister oversaw the airstrikes from an operations center. He said that the aim was to ensure the security of 85 million people and to retaliate for any attack on the country.
The so-called headquarters of the terrorist organization was one of the targets that Akar claimed to have destroyed.
Turkish officials reacted to the attacks. Kalin posted a picture of the Turkish flag with the comment "Payback time for Istiklal", a reference to last week's bombing.
Ankara tried to set up a safe zone along northern Syria, but it was hit by the airstrikes.
Two villages heavily populated with displaced people are under Turkish bombardment. 11 civilians were killed and a hospital, power plant and grain silos were destroyed in the strikes.
The Associated Press found a burnt out petrol station in the Syrian town of Derik, which is near the borders of Syria, Iraq and Turkey.
Abdulgafar Ali is an employee at the petrol station. Mass destruction occurred because of the bombardment. Innocent civilians were killed and injured when the station was shut down.
The Women's Protection Units, or YPJ, which is linked to the Kurdish People's Protection Units, said the airstrikes targeted areas along the Turkey- Syria border. The YPJ media office told The Associated Press that the airstrikes were random.
The people who fought the Islamic State group are being attacked by Turkish warplanes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strikes had hit Syrian army positions and that at least 12 people had been killed.
Turkish warplanes carried out about 25 airstrikes on sites in the countryside of Raqqa and Hasakah.
Several Syrian soldiers were killed in the north of the country, according to the defense ministry. The state media in Syria had previously reported three deaths.
The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq said at least 32 PKK fighters had been killed in air raids.
Fighters in northeast Syria have the right to resist and defend their areas if Turkey attacks, according to the Kurdish-led authority.
People are urged to stay at home and follow security forces instructions. We are doing everything we can to avoid a disaster. All will be affected if war breaks out.
The attacks will not be unanswered. We will respond in a strong and effective way.
A soldier and two police officers were wounded in a rocket attack on the Oncupinar border gate with Syria.
As he was returning from the G-20 meeting of world leaders in Indonesia, Erdogan gave the order for the air strikes. The pictures were released by the president's office.
After the opening ceremony of the World Cup, Erdogan and a group of other officials left Turkey.
Turkey has invaded northern Syria at least three times in the last two years. There was a military operation in the area earlier this year.
Turkish forces launched a ground and air offensive against the PKK in northern Iraq in April.
That's right.
The report was contributed to by Associated Press writers in Baghdad and Lebanon.
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