The Turkish army besieged the village of Peyindas (Söğütlü)  in Tatvan district of Bitlis after clashes with guerrilla fighters on Thursday morning and detained 15 citizens.

Fighting near the village continued throughout the day.

Those taken into custody are Kerem Arvas, Mustafa Tedbirli, Necip Tedbirli, Heybet Çelik, Serkan İpek, Garip İpek, Ekrem Avras and Ahmet Çelik. Kerem Arvas was reportedly detained by use of force.

Relatives of those detained said that there is no information about where they were taken and concern for their safety is growing. The authorities have not commented on the detentions yet.