Police and military attack in Hakkari’s Yuksekova district: 3 dead, at least 10 injured Since 24th of July, the Turkish state has initiated a dirty war against the Kurdish people. During this war they are bombing both Kurdistan of Turkey and Iraq. They are terrorising the people and declaring curfews in many Kurdish towns…
(Semdinli, Varto, Lice, Hani, Ergani, Eruh, Farqin etc). Until now, 10 civilians including children have been killed. 127 Kurdish regions have been declared warzones and military operations from the air and the ground are being conducted. Thousands of Kurdish civilians have been arrested. Most recently, 8 Kurdish mayors have been arrested. In short, the state knows no bounds in its war against the Kurds.
Yesterday, the Hakkari governorate declared a curfew in Yuksekova from 23.30; 5 minutes later, soldiers and police officers attacked the people. Firstly, the military fired mortar rounds from the barracks into the town centre. After the bombardment, the military has been attempting to enter the neighbourhoods in military armed vehicles.
After the curfew was announced, the Orman neighbourhood and Eski Kisla neighbourhoods have both been surrounded by military armed vehicles. Throughout the night both neighbourhoods were bombed, and gunfire could be heard through the night. As a result of the bombardment in the Orman, Kisla and Mezarlik neighbourhoods at least 3 civilians have been killed, and 10 more have been injured.
All power and water supplies to the town have been cut. The town is reminiscent of a city under attack by ISIS in Syria. The Turkish security forces are deploying ISIS tactics in attacking the people and burning their homes. In front of the eyes of the whole world the people of the Kurdish town of Yuksekova are on the receiving end of the terror of the Turkish state.
Despite the curfew the people are on the streets
As soon as the gunfire began, thousands of people took to the streets acting as human shields to prevent the attack. However, the police then attacked the people with pepper spray. Despite these attacks, the people continued their protest with pots, pans and drums. The police and military are still attacking these unarmed people.
In several neighbourhoods the people took to mosques to call for people to help those in the neighbourhoods that are under attack. While the people are now flocking to the neighbourhoods that are under attack, strategically located snipers are beginning to shoot at the people.
We call upon the international community to take a stand against the Turkish state terrorism against civilians. The AKP government is deploying ISIS’s methods in Turkish Kurdistan in attacking the Kurdish people who are actively resisting ISIS. Silence about Turkish state terror will only mean approval to massacre of Kurds.
Kurdistan National Congress- KNK, August 27, 2015
