The military blockade of the Kurdish village of Hespist (tr: Yarbaşı) in the province of Şırnak has been lifted. For a fortnight, the residents of the village north-west of the district of Idil had been under a curfew imposed by the Turkish army and a ban on entering the village was in force. The measure was based on a temporary reclassification of the area as a so-called "special security zone".

The measure was implemented on the alleged grounds that PKK fighters had been sighted in the village, where an operation was launched afterward. Anyone who wanted to enter or leave the village for work or due to illness was subjected to a criminal record check.

The operation in Hespist caused panic and fear among the residents. The soldiers involved in the operation were stationed in the village's Mor Dodo church shortly after the siege began and turned the roofs of several houses into observation points. Sniper positions were also raised. In addition, a man from Hespist but living in İdil was arrested in a raid, and only released after several days in custody. The army also carried out house searches in Hespist itself.