 In June and August there were heavy clashes in Hakkari province, described as the most violent in years.as the PKK attempted to seize control of Şemdinli and engage the Turkish army in a "frontal battle" by blocking the roads leading to the town from Iran and Iraq and setting up DShK heavy machine guns and rocket launchers on high ground to ambush Turkish motorized units that would be sent to re-take the town.However the Turkish army avoided the trap by destroying the heavy weapons from the air and using long range artillery to root out the PKK.