More than 40 village guards have collectively laid down arms today, refusing to join an operation in the village of Narlý (Xaviþtan) in Van’s Çatak district.

The village guards have submitted their resignation to the Governor’s office of Çatak on Wednesday morning after they were called for an operation by the police directorate in the village last night.

A village guard, asking to be mentioned anonymous, said that a lieutenant had insulted them for not accepting to join the operation. “We will never take up arms again like all other village guards in our village”, he underlined.

Twenty nine village guards in Þýrnak’s Beytüþþebap district also laid down their arms in late September, saying that they will not take part in the ongoing operations in the district where clashes between the Turkish military and People’s Defense Forces (HPG) guerrillas continue since early September.

One other collective voluntarily resignation by four temporary village guards was made in the village of Belenoluk (Heþet) in Siirt’s Pervari district in late September.