Turkey lifts week-long curfew on Kurdish city

The protests which culminated in the attacks were organised after a bomb killed 14 police officers.

Security sources said Turkish forces backed by helicopters chased militants responsible for the Sirnak bombing, killing at least five of them. The government said one civilian and 32 militants died.

With nationalists’ ire now turned to the country’s largest ethnic minority, both Turks and Kurds fear a re-emergence of tensions that have periodically plagued Turkey, plunging it into bouts of violence, derailing its economy and demolishing reconciliation efforts across a diverse society.

The Diyarbakir governor’s office said the round-the-clock curfew remained in place due to attacks on public buildings, roadblocks and sabotage acts by the PKK.

Another curfew was also imposed in parts of the central Sur district of the southern Diyarbakir city, as the authorities conducted a new anti-PKK operation there.

Pro-Kurdish politicians say 21 civilians have been killed and a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, with the dead going unburied and food and water running short.

Nils Muižnieks, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, expressed concern over claims of “disproportionate use of force” against civilians in Cizre, near the Syrian border.

Armed police were earlier seen manning barricades preventing passage to the old city of Diyarbakir at entry points along its famous dark-hued walls, a photographer reported.

Kurdish leaders attempted to march to the town on Thurday, alongside pro-Kurdish activists and MPs from the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) before being blocked by police who had virtually sealed off the town. Security sources said seven police officers were wounded in clashes there.

Officials say the move is necessary to enforce security and save lives while tracking down militants from the outlawed Kurdish PKK group.

In spite of these adverse developments, we call on all worldwide communities, civil society organizations and the global media for solidarity and support to bring about an immediate cease-fire and the commencement of peace talks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has promised the fight against the insurgents will go on until “not one terrorist is left”.

According to the Saudi authorities, a total of 107 people were killed on Friday afternoon when a massive crane collapsed in the Grand Mosque, which at the time had been teeming with worshippers.