Turkish authorities today declared new 24-hour, indefinite curfews for two mainly-Kurdish towns where Turkey’s security forces are set to launch large-scale operations to battle Kurdish militants.
Turkey has imposed curfews in several flashpoints in the southeast since August to root out militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, who had set up barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives.
The military operations have raised concerns over human rights violations and scores of civilian deaths. Tens of thousands of people have also been displaced by the fighting.
The Governor’s office for Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran, said a curfew would take effect in the town Yuksekova on Sunday adding that entering and leaving the town would also be banned.
The announcement came as news reports said dozens of tanks had been deployed to the town.
Soon after, authorities in Mardin province announced that a round-the-clock would take effect in the town of Nusaybin on the border with Syria at midnight.
Residents were seen leaving Nusaybin on Sunday, packing cars or heading toward the bus terminal even before the curfew was announced, the Dogan news agency reported.