Turkish police fire gas at protest against southeast curfews

Meanwhile, protests took place Sunday in Istanbul and in Diyarbakir, the de facto capital and largest city in the Kurdish southeast, as protesters demanded an end to the military operations.

Some protesters threw firebombs at security forces, who responded with teargas. Three policeman are also reported to have been killed.

Protesters and stunned tourists used lemons and soft drinks to neutralize the effects of the tear gas on Sunday as they poured out of Istiklal Street, a bustling commercial artery.

Turkey has been engaged in a large-scale military campaign against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in its southern border region in the recent past.

Turkey has stepped up security operations in the mainly Kurdish towns of Silope and Cizre, both under curfew since December 14. Security operations, reportedly involving 10,000 police officers and troops as well as tanks, were then launched to fill trenches dug up by militants and restore state authority in the restive towns. The Turkish army also conducted air strikes on suspected PKK sites in northern Iraq on Friday.

In a separate statement, the military said 11 members of the separatist terrorist organization – the phrase used to refer to the PKK – were killed in operations in Cizre on Saturday, bringing the number of PKK deaths in the town during security forces’ operations to 80.

Turkish President Erdogan has vowed to “cleanse” Turkey of PKK rebels in the growing crackdown, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed today that Turkey would not get “tired” of waging war against the towns.

Almost 2,000 people have been killed since an informal two-year cease-fire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed in July.