MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Gunshots and explosions, presumably heavy artillery shelling can be heard in the city, according to the Turkish Dogan News Agency. The operation, involving the Turkish military's anti-terrorism branch, commenced at 5 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT).
A curfew has been declared in the city until further notice, according to the news outlet.
According to social media reports, at least two people were killed, while several others were injured in the Turkish Army's artillery assault.
Tensions in Turkey escalated in late July, when Turkey launched a military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq after militants claimed responsibility for the murders of two Turkish police officers.
The PKK, considered to be a terrorist organization by Ankara, began its separatist insurgency in 1984. The group seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq.
