Diyarbakır’s Sur district under curfew for a month

İsmet Berkan - DİYARBAKIR

Sebati Karakurt / HÜRRİYET

The historical district of Sur in Diyarbakır has now been subject to a curfew for the past month amid continuing clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the area.

Diyarbakır’s Sur district has turned into a zone of continued clashes with a curfew in effect since Dec. 2, apart from a break of only 17 hours on Dec. 10. 

A member of security forces who wanted to remain unanimous said in Sur that they expected to remove the curfew in several streets but there were still small gunfights posing a threat to civilians. 

“It is not right to give a number,” said an official when asked how many militants were fighting against security forces. 

“There are some who are from the mountain cadres [of the PKK] sent by the Kandil [where senior PKK leaders are based]. But there are many young children, too.” 

People who left their houses in the Dağkapı neighborhood came to security checkpoints in an effort to return to their houses, but were prevented from doing so by the security forces.

In the latest attack by the PKK yesterday, four police officers were wounded in Sur. 

Police officer Ahmet Sarıkaya, 27, was wounded by a gunshot by a sniper from a PKK militant, while three others were wounded in an explosion. 

Meanwhile, gendarmerie noncommissioned officer Kenan Yıldız, 33, who was killed in clashes with the PKK in Silopi district of Şırnak on Dec. 28, was laid to rest in the southern province of Adana yesterday. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar attended the funeral prayer held at the Sabancı Merkez Mosque. 

The fallen soldier’s 3-year-old son, Melih Yıldız, played around the coffin without acknowledging the loss of his father. 

Gendarmerie Specialized Sgt. Faruk Gezen, who was killed in an attack in the southeastern Cizre district of Şırnak province on Dec. 27, was laid to rest in the Dursunbey district of Balıkesir.

Pvt. Gürkan Necati Yenikapı, who was killed in the same attack, was laid to rest in the western province of İzmir. 

The Turkish General Staff announced yesterday that some 214 PKK militants have been killed in southeastern clashes since Dec. 15.

Out of the 214 PKK fighters killed, 155 were killed in Cizre and 17 others in Silopi, while 42 more were killed in Sur, the military said.