Internet users in Turkey were on Friday experiencing severe difficulties accessing social media after the country was plunged into new turbulence by the detention of its main pro-Kurdish leaders, correspondents and a watchdog said.

The Turkish military has deployed tanks and artillery to southeastern districts near the Iraqi border, military sources said Tuesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday Ankara could launch a ground operation in Iraq to remove any threats to Turkey that may arise.

"If there is a threat posed to Turkey, we are ready to use all our resources including a ground operation... to eliminate that threat," Cavusoglu said in an interview with Kanal 24 broadcaster. 

Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Monday defended Turkey's post-coup state of emergency but rankled his hosts when he appeared to criticize how it was being implemented.

Nearly 100 civilians have been killed in a two-month offensive by Turkey and allied rebels in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Monday. 

Germany's chief prosecutor on Friday rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appeal against the dropping of a probe into a TV comic who satirized him.

Raising tensions with Iraq ahead of the planned U.S.-backed operation by Iraqi troops to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) jihadists, Turkey is seeking to have its say over who controls and lives in the city once the extremists are ousted.

A total of 18 people were killed in a car bomb in southeastern Turkey on Sunday, among them eight civilians, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

Turkey on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for 2016 to just above three percent, as the global economic environment and effects of the July failed coup take their toll on the economy.

Turkey will maintain the state of emergency imposed in the wake of July's failed coup for another three months starting from October 19, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday.