Turkey declares curfew in 43 villages in Diyarbakir

Curfews were imposed in more than 40 villages in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir early on Tuesday as part of a security operation against the Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK, Turkish officials said.

The curfews in 43 villages in Lice, Hani, Kocakoy and Dicle districts started at 7am local time (04:00 GMT), and will remain in place until further notice, according to a statement by the government office.

Security forces will conduct an operation in the rural areas to “neutralise” PKK fighters including “senior members and their collaborators operating in the region”, the statement said.

The operation also aims to destroy PKK bunkers, arms depots, and anti-aircraft gun emplacements, as well as to seize weapons and ammunition.

READ MORE: Turkey – Hundreds detained over alleged links to PKK 

More than 1,200 people, including security forces and civilians, have been killed since the PKK resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015, when a ceasefire between the PKK and the state broke down.

The PKK has been designated a “terrorist” group by Turkey, the European Union and the US.

In February this year, Turkish police detained more than 800 people over alleged links to Kurdish fighters in nationwide operations, according to state media.

The PKK, which was formed in the late 1970s, has been calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey. It launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have since been killed in the conflict.