Two villages in Yüksekova have been sealed off by the Turkish army due to a military operation. A curfew has been imposed on the locals and a ban on access to the mountain pastures has been imposed.
Two villages in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari have been besieged by the Turkish army since Tuesday after the launch of a military operation.
The villages of Tilorana Jêr and Tilorana Jor are affected by the state of siege in the district in the province of Hakkari. The Turkish army imposed a temporary curfew on local residents and a ban on entering the villages. In addition, a bridge leading to the mountain pasture area of Hakkari has been cordoned off by armoured vehicles. Fighter drones are circling over the region.
The operation area includes the Sipêrêz mountain and the surrounding area. The army deployed mobile machinery and construction vehicles but did not provide any information on the reasons for military mobility. In addition to soldiers, so-called village guards are also taking part in the large-scale operation.
The operation in Yüksekova is causing panic and fear among the residents and also represents a serious blow to the regional pastoral economy, the main source of income for the local population. The ban on entering Tilorana Jêr and Tilorana Jor also includes three high mountain pastures, Horê, Berê Sor and Conî. People fear the mass death of their herds of animals. It is unclear when the measures will be lifted.
The province of Hakkari is located in the south-east of Turkish territory and borders directly on the Medya Defence Zones held by the guerrillas in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq. It is the starting point of the Turkish invasion of South Kurdistan, but also a Kurdish stronghold of resistance. For decades, the Turkish state has been trying to turn the region into a garrison town.
