More and more members of paramilitary village guards in North Kurdistan are refusing to obey an order from the Turkish army for a cross-border military operation against the PKK guerrillas in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Most recently, it was announced in the province of Siirt (Sêrt) that ten village guards had quit their service.

Due to state threats, some of them have left their villages to protect themselves and their families.

Village guards in Hakkari (Colemêrg), Amed, Mardin (Mêrdîn) and Şirnak have also left the service of the Turkish state because they did not want to take part in the occupation operation in South Kurdistan. The ten men from the villages of Belenoluk (Hêşeta Berêspî), Söğütönü (Nureşîn) and Bentköy (Serxanis) in Sêrt-Berwarî (Pervari) had already temporarily laid down their weapons in the past. After being ordered to go on a mission again, they refused, saying that they had no business in North Iraq.

Warning from HPG

A warning from the HPG guerrillas also apparently played a role in the decision. Anyone who betrays their own people will sooner or later face the consequences, the People's Defense Forces (HPG) declared three months ago and explicitly called on the village guards not to take part in the major invasion of the Medya Defense Areas.

Tense atmosphere in villages

The atmosphere in the villages in Siirt is tense. A local resident, who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Yeni Özgur Politika that there was a division in the population and said that some village leaders had not given up paramilitary service. Others who had given up their weapons were being pressured to leave the villages. "People are being threatened, - he said - not openly and directly, but subtly. Four or five people have left the village because of the threat. They are now preparing to move to other cities. This is not only the case here. The situation is similar in other districts. People are supposed to take part in the operation for money, but many refuse."

Village guards

Village guards are Kurdish paramilitaries in the service of the Turkish state. The village guard system was established in Turkey in 1985 to combat the Kurdish liberation movement and has its roots in the Hamidiye Regiments in the Ottoman Empire. The paramilitary units, founded according to tried and tested colonial methods, are now officially called the "Security Guard" and are used as local experts and cannon fodder in Turkish military operations in Kurdistan. Their mission also includes foreign missions.