It said that a large group of militants were detected on Turkey's border with Iraq in the process of preparing a terrorist attack.
Turkish army units effectively engaged them with tank and artillery fire, killing 30 terrorists. Mopping-up operations are ongoing in the area.
The Turkish parliament sanctioned last week military cross-border operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), based in northern Iraq, following an earlier government request. The PKK says it is currently holding several Turkish soldiers hostage.
Turkey's prime minister urged the United States earlier Thursday not to exert pressure on Ankara over its cross-border operation against Kurdish insurgents in northern Iraq.
"America should not attempt to obstruct our effort. The U.S. is our strategic ally, and it should act together with us," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Commenting on Washington's call not to intrude into Iraq to pursue Kurdish militants, he said Turkey would do what it sees fit to fight terrorism, in accordance with national and international laws.
The country's president said that Turkey would do everything necessary to wipe out Kurdish insurgents in Iraq.
"We respect Iraq's territorial unity and integrity, but we have run out of patience," Abdullah Gul said.
"We will not allow [them] to use Iraqi territory for terrorist attacks [against Turkey]," he added.
The Yeni Safak newspaper reported on Wednesday that Turkish commandos supported by helicopters were chasing militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and F-16 Falcon fighter-bombers and artillery were delivering pinpoint strikes at militant bases about 50 kilometers (30 miles) deep into the Iraqi territory.
Zaman, Turkey's third largest newspaper, also said on Wednesday that the Turkish Armed Forces had stepped up their bombardment of the Iraqi border as part of an operation launched in retaliation for Sunday's terrorist attack that killed 12 soldiers and wounded 16 others.
The PKK, listed by the U.S., NATO and the EU as a terrorist organization, has been fighting for autonomy status in southeast Turkey for nearly 25 years. The conflict has so far claimed about 40,000 lives.
