Turkey Declares Curfew in Southeastern District Over Anti-PKK Operation
18:31 25.03.2016(updated 18:35 25.03.2016)
Turkish authorities declared a curfew in the country's Silvan district in the province of Diyarbakir due to a planned operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
ANKARA (Sputnik) – A curfew was declared on March 25 in Turkey's Silvan district in the province of Diyarbakir due to a planned operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is outlawed in the country, local authorities said.
"Due to the upcoming operation against the separatist terrorist organization PKK a permanent curfew has been introduced in all areas of the [Silvan] district from 11.00 [09:00 GMT] March 25 until further notice," District Governor Murat Kutuk said in a statement.
On March 20, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala announced the introduction of a round-the-clock curfew in seven southeastern Turkish regions. Earlier in March, Ala announced the launch of a new counterterrorism campaign against PKK militants in the country's southeast, especially in the districts of Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Sirnak.
Relations between Ankara and the Kurds, who comprise some 25 percent of the country's population, have been progressively worsening. Ankara has been carrying out a military operation against the PKK, which seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq, since the summer of 2015 following a deadly suicide attack in Suruc. The PKK seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq.
© Sputnik
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