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Clashes across Turkey in response to police deaths

The Turkish government has taken action across the South East against the PKK

Charlie Atkin
Thursday 17 September 2015 14:03 EDT
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Curfews, clashes and killings in Turkey

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Video shows how Turkish civilians clashed with police after another curfew was imposed on the city of Cizre.

The government’s decision came in response to the deaths of three police officers on Sunday.

A curfew was first imposed in the mainly Kurdish city of Cizre for Turkish troops to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the PKK.

While the curfew was briefly lifted on Sunday, residents held funerals for those killed in the recent violence.

“They are committing a sin by putting us through all this pain” said a resident of Cizre.

“We will never understand what President Erdogan is doing to us. His tanks and shells killed us all. Here we have 16 bodies that we keep in refrigerators and mosques for days.”

Regional governor Ali Ihsan Su is reported as justifying the new curfew to “ensure the security of our people’s lives and property” as “members of the separatist terror organisation” are sought.

A curfew was also imposed in the city Diyarbakir, where police can be seen firing tear gas and a water cannon at protestors.

The level of violence has risen between the Turkish government and the PKK since July, which many expect only to escalate ahead of elections in November.

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