A ban on access to more than a dozen mountainous regions in the Kurdish province of Şırnak, which has been in force for a fortnight, has been extended for an initial period of fifteen days. According to a statement released by the governor's office on Monday, the "preventive measure" applies in fourteen areas of the province, which were declared temporary "special security areas" in mid-November.

The measure, which is related to operations by the Turkish army against the guerrillas, was initially imposed from 12 to 26 November and will remain in place until 11 December.

The order affects a total of 14 regions in the border areas of Cizre, Silopi, Güçlükonak, Uludere and Beytüşşebap districts, as well as the areas of Cudi and Gabar mountains and the Besta region.

The creation of "special security zones" is part of a larger development in which restricted military areas are being established in various parts of northern Kurdistan. As a result, entire areas are cut off from the outside world and are subject to the control and arbitrariness of the military. These measures place a considerable burden on the Kurdish rural population and increase the pressure on residents to leave the affected areas.

Large-scale military operations are constantly taking place in the region of Şırnak, which is located in the south-east of Turkish territory and lies in the border triangle with Iraq and Syria. The province borders on southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) and thus on the Medya Defence Zones controlled by the guerrillas.