The Turkish army has been besieging villages and hamlets in the Hizan district in the province of Bitlis in northern Kurdistan since the beginning of July. After the declaration of a curfew and the launch of a military operation on 2 July, the region was declared a "special security zone" on 14 July. The measure remained in place until 28 July, but the military siege in the region continued.

A large number of troops and so-called village guards are conducting an operation, which is mainly focused on the surroundings of the villages of Hûzeran, Best, Sûreh, Xûlepûr and Kekulan. The affected region in the Hizan district includes a hazel forest, which is known to keep the adjacent village economy alive, as well as ten densely populated villages and hamlets, on which a curfew had already been imposed at the beginning of July in the course of an air-supported military operation. For days, the inhabitants of the affected villages were forbidden to leave their homes and people were cut off from the outside world. During the operation, fighting took place and the army carried out bombardments in the immediate vicinity of villages.

During the ongoing operation, the hazelnut trees in the village of Xûlepûr are being uprooted by scoops dispatched to the area. Local sources state that Turkish troops are destroying trees to make way for military movement and activities.