Gunfire, blasthit Turkey tourist site

Gunfire and a percussion bomb blast were heard outside the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, one of Turkey's main tourist attractions which also houses offices of the prime minister, reports said yesterday.

Two suspects carrying long range weapons and a bomb were later caught by police in the vicinity of the German consulate nearby, sources reported. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries and no group claimed responsibility so far.

Meanwhile, 8 Turkish soldiers were killed yesterday in a bomb attack on their vehicle in the southeast blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the army said.

The attack is the single most deadly strike to be blamed on the PKK since the government began waging a major "anti-terror" campaign against the Kurdish militants last month.