Curfew partially lifted in Turkey’s Şırnak

ŞIRNAK

A curfew that was first imposed on March 14 in the southeastern province of Şırnak was lifted on Nov. 14, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

An operation called “Martyr Gendarmerie Lieutenant Mehmet Çiftçi” came to an end on the 82nd day after the covering of potholes which were dug by millitants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the removal of barricades and the destruction of explosives.

Primarily, locals who were living in the Atatürk and Vakıfkent neighborhoods will be allowed to return to the province on Nov. 14. 

Locals who were living in the Şehri Nuh and Gündoğdu neighborhoods will be permitted to return on Nov. 15, locals of Aydınlıkevler and İsmetpaşa on Nov. 16, locals of Cumhuriyet and Gazipaşa on Nov. 17, locals of Yeşilyurt and Bahçelievler on Nov. 18, while locals of Yenimahalle and Dicle will be able to return on Nov. 19.

The Şırnak Governor’s Office warned locals about explosives that might still be present in the province following battles between the Turkish state and the PKK that resulted in the destruction of much of the province.

“The curfew will be lifted between 5.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. every day as of Nov. 14,” the provincial governor, Ali İhsan Su, said on Nov.13.      

The governor added that the damages caused by PKK attacks in the area would be soon compensated.      
Since the operation started in Şırnak province, 508 militants were killed and 1,845 improvised explosive devices were destroyed. At least 39 pits were filled and 240 barricades removed, according to security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media. 

In addition, a curfew was imposed on Nov. 14 in 13 villages of the Lice and Hani districts of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Authorities in Diyarbakır imposed the lockdown which started at 5 a.m. as security forces searched for key figures and members of the PKK in a forested area near the 13 villages, the governor said in a statement. 
The operation aims to incapacitate PKK militants, destroy shelters, depots and anti-aircraft sites used by PKK militants, according to Turkish officials.

Government sources also said PKK militants staged an action at a school in the southeastern province of Batman.

PKK militants threw a hand-made explosion at a primary school, the sources said. There were no casualties as the incident occurred at night.

The windows of the school were broken due to the impact of the explosion, while the perpetrators escaped from the area. An operation has been launched to apprehend the militants following the attack.