At least three Turkish diplomats were killed on Wednesday in a shooting that took place in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil, two Kurdish security officials told reporters.

"Three people, including the Turkish vice-consul, were killed in an armed attack targeting the consul and the consulate's employees in a restaurant in Erbil," Turkish media quoted the source as saying.

The shooting took place at round 2:30 p.m. local time when unknown gunmen opened fire at a restaurant in Kolan Street near the consulate in central Erbil, where the diplomats were dining, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing that their source requires anonymity.

The bodies of the three diplomats have been transferred to nearby hospitals. Emergency officials have responded to the incident and cordoned off the scene, Iraq's local media reported.

The gunmen have reportedly fled the scene, an unnamed security source told BBC.

Witnesses in the city said checkpoints had been quickly set up inside and around the neighborhood of Ainkawa, which hosts numerous restaurants and the Turkish consulate.

Turkey confirmed that an "employee" at its Erbil consulate was killed in a shooting. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and the identities of the gunmen haven't been confirmed.

Turkey is waging a major military offensive in Iraq's mountainous northern region to root out pockets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is seen as a "terrorist" group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. It has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and operates rear bases in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Several rocket attacks have targeted diplomatic missions in Iraq in recent months, including rockets near the U.S. and UK embassies in Baghdad's "Green Zone."

(With inputs from Reuters, AFP.)

(Cover: A restaurant where Turkish diplomats were killed is seen in Erbil, Iraq, July 17, 2019. /Reuters Photo)