Washington: The Pentagon has approved a deal to sell nearly $700 million worth of smart bombs to Turkey through its Foreign Military Sales scheme.

The sale announced on Tuesday comes at a crucial time for Turkey’s military which continues to be heavily embroiled in attacking the PKK militants.

"The deal came timely as we are deeply engaged in asymmetrical warfare and need smart bombs" a Turkish military official said.

The Pentagon granted the contract to Ellwood National Forge and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems for the sale of BLU-109 bunker busting bomb bodies and components the first reported sale of such bombs to Turkey.

Ankara expects the transaction to be completed by 2020.

The bomb contains 550 pounds of high explosive Tritonal a combination of 80% TNT and 20% aluminum powder. The BLU-109’s tail fuse delays the bomb’s detonation until the bomb has penetrated the targeted bunker ensuring complete destruction.

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale campaign against the PKK in the past months.

Since late July 2015 Turkey’s southeastern regions have witnessed a spike in violence amid heavy confrontations between army forces and the PKK an outlawed group that have been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since 1980s.

QNA