The Turkish authorities have issued a ban on access to several villages in the vicinity of Mount Cudi in the Kurdish province of Şırnak. As of now, a total of seven villages are affected by the measure. It is up to the villagers themselves to decide where they will continue to stay in the meantime. In any case, there are no temporary shelters provided by the state.

An official order for the ban has not yet been issued. The governor's office, as the responsible body, has instructed municipal and village leaders to ensure that the measure is implemented. The ban on access to the villages of Xinis, Şemga, Sorbitmê and Girêçolya in Silopi district has already been in effect since May 11. This Sunday, the "indefinite" regulation was extended to the villages of Serêdehlê, Avgamasya and Şilewêt.

The background to the ban on access to the villages is a military operation by the Turkish army against the Kurdish guerrillas at Mount Cudi, which has been ongoing since April 24 and has since expanded. The decision to launch this operation was taken by the Turkish Ministry of Defense in response to a series of successful guerrilla actions. At least eight soldiers were killed and others injured in actions by YJA Star and HPG guerrillas and in clashes with operations units on Mount Cudi during the last week of April.

Officially, however, there was only talk in Ankara of two casualties. These were probably a lieutenant of the military police and a staff sergeant. After the incident, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Division General Aydoğan Aydın paid a visit to the injured military personnel at the state hospital in Şırnak. Since then, large troop concentrations have been taking place in the region. The area of operations continues to expand, with paramilitary village guard units from Şırnak also participating in the offensive.

Parallel to the military operation at Mount Cudi, a new stage in the political campaign of destruction against the Kurdish population is also emerging in Şırnak. Within a week, more than forty people from the province have been detained, and five people have been imprisoned. The basis of the political extermination campaign is an investigation conducted by the Şırnak Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. However, the background is unclear, as a secrecy order has been imposed on the file.