The military operation launched by the Turkish army in Astenga Reş in the northern Kurdish district of Gever (Yüksekova) on Sunday continued on Monday. According to reports that have now been confirmed, there are clashes between the guerrillas and military units in the region, and several ambulances and rescue workers were moved to the operation area late in the evening. At about the same time, the village of Şîşemzîn, which was within the operational radius, was attacked by Turkish armored units.

According to the ÖHD lawyers' association, dozens of residents of Şîşemzîn, including several minors between the ages of eleven and fourteen, were insulted and abused by soldiers during the attack. At least twenty people were abducted to the operation area after the ordeal, including four shepherds with Iranian citizenship, several older women and an eight-year-old child. Apparently they were intended to be misused as "human shields". Three women and the child were released later that night, while thirteen others are still in military police custody. First they were taken to the Kısıklı district, but the victims are now being held at the Jandarma district headquarters in Gever.

Lawyers harassed by police

In the case of at least three other people from Şîşemzîn, the ÖHD has no information on their whereabouts. Harika Günay Karataş and Fırat Ike, the two co-chairs of the ÖHD branch for the province of Colemêrg, expressed concern: "At the police station, we witnessed that the arrested villagers were being beaten. When we intervened, at the instigation of the responsible commander Bayram Konak, soldiers physically attacked us and dragged us out of the station. We were dragged across the ground and forcibly placed in our vehicle. A military vehicle then pushed our car off the premises of the district commander's office," said lawyer Karataş, announcing legal consequences.

Graze on the arm: Lawyer Harika Günay Karataş is worried about the lives of the people in Gever affected by state terror.

Densely populated villages affected by operation

The operation in the Astenga Reş region was initiated on Sunday morning with the relocation of armored units, and the Turkish Air Force is also deployed. In addition to Şîşemzîn, the villages of Xurekana Seyîda and Xurekana Temo are also within the operational radius. Siege rings have been set up around the villages and a curfew is in place. Airborne troops are moving in the operational area, and attack helicopters are bombing. In addition to suspected guerrilla bases, targets in the densely populated villages of Astenga Reş have also been attacked by the Turkish air force. It is not yet clear whether people were injured or even killed as a result.