Breakdown of the ceasefire coincides with worsening conflict in neighboring Syria and Iraq and the rise of Islamic State group, which has been blamed for a July bombing in Turkey that killed 30.
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Monday’s dailies dedicated their front pages to separate PKK-led attacks which martyred at least three policemen and injured five others on Sunday in the southeastern provinces of Sirnak and Diyarbakir. Activists say the curfew has severely disrupted life in the town of some 100,000 inhabitants, with people complaining of shortages of food and medical services.
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said in an interview with Kanal 7 television that the violence and political upheaval are threatening Turkey’s finances.
An investigation was opened into the mayor for spreading “terror propaganda”, the ministry said.
The Diyarbakir governor’s office said it had placed the central historic Sur district under a round-the-clock curfew after seven police officers were reportedly wounded in clashes there.
On Thursday, the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) said in a statement that 21 civilians have died during the Turkish curfew.
An air-assisted operation has been launched in the region to apprehend the terrorists.
The PKK, labeled as a terrorist organization by the USA and the European Union, had begun withdrawing some of its forces in 2013 after a breakthrough in peace talks.
Television pictures showed police roadblocks preventing access to the historical centre of Diyarbakir within its famous dark-hued city walls.
AKP officials have often accused the HDP of being allied with the PKK terrorist group, an assertion Demirtaş has flatly and repeatedly denied. Serious concerns regarding fears of civilian massacre in Cizre have been voiced by the elected members of the parliament and civil society organizations.
“Both Ankara and Qandil must take a position that responds to the people’s expectation with a clear, concrete project”, he said.
The unrest comes at a febrile time in Turkey ahead of snap November 1 elections, where the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will seek to eat into the HDP’s votes to win back an overall majority. We now need the support of the global public more than ever in order to achieve the realization of a lasting peace in the Middle East, Turkey and Kurdistan.
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State authorities had also imposed an overnight curfew in the town of Yuksekova near the Iranian border due to what they said was increased militant activity.
