Since 24th of July, 32 civilians have been killed, and several injured. Turkish military and police forces in Kurdistan reportedly say: ‘Many people will die and we will remain in the districts till the end of elections`. After 48 hours of attacks in Şırnak’s Cizre district and the murder of four civilians, the attacks by the Turkish military state have started now in Diyarbakir`s Sur district. Read more

Special operation teams blockaded Sur district as of the early morning hours of today, and opened fire on people at random in Hasırlı neighborhood. While the blockade by security forces in the neighbourhood continues, people have started to gather in the district in anger over the arbitrary shootings and deliberate blockades. Police forces are now attacking those peoples too. At the same time, phone and internet lines remain cut off, which hinders the provision of proper information from the area. Currently the limited flow of information indicates that two people have lost their lives so far, but it is possible that the numbers of killed and injured could be much higher.

No Security of Life for Kurds

These attacks highlight the lack of security of life for Kurds, as the Turkish state forces prepare for yet another massacre of civilians. During today’s crackdown, and the security forces attempts to enter neighbourhoods and open fire at random in Cizre and Sur, six deaths have resulted. It is reported that police, in their reign of terror, have threatened that ‘many people will die’, and that they will remain present in the district until the elections.

Thousands of police, soldiers and special operation teams have been deployed to schools, and other state institutions around the neighbourhoods of Nur, Sur, Cudi and Yafes in Cizre and the neighbourhood of Hasirli in Sur. Additionally, a large number of tanks and armoured vehicles occupy the streets, increasing the level of fear and terror for the civilians. Reports indicate that some 600 special operation police were dispatched to the district in 250 armoured vehicles, and over 150 buses brought in Special Forces two days ago in line with an instruction from the Ministry of the Interior.

Local People are Trying to Resist

Civilians are resisting the curfew in place since yesterday in Cizre and Sur, and youths have started carrying out self-defence operations to hinder police forces from entering the neighbourhoods. HDP Şırnak deputy, Ferhat Encü and Cizre co-mayor Leyla İmret, stated that the hospital in the district has been blockaded by police forces, preventing civilians from taking the injured to access medical assistance.

Using the so-called fight against IS as a pretext, AKP also launched a wave of repression against Kurds in Turkey and Iraq. This war is weakening the Kurds who have been successfully battling ISIS and is boosting the morale of and strengthening ISIS.
We call upon the international community to stand up against the war declared by the Turkish state, its military, its police and its special forces.
We call upon the EU, UN and the USA to speak up against the dirty plans of Turkey.
We call upon the international media to go to Kurdistan to report on the war, and document and highlight the vast number of atrocities being enacted against the Kurdish people.

Source: kurdistantribune.com