Curfew in southeastern Turkish province lifted

MARDIN, Turkey

A curfew in the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin due to operations against the terrorist organization PKK has been lifted after three days, said the Mardin Governor’s Office.

The office stated that the curfew, which began on May 25, at 10.00 a.m. (0700GMT), was lifted on Saturday, May 28, at 2.00 p.m. (1100GMT).

The curfew had been imposed on 13 neighborhoods in the province’s Nusaybin, Omerli, and Midyat districts.

According to the statement, the reason for the curfew was to apprehend PKK terrorists said to be holed up in the area.

Turkey’s southeast has been the scene of significant military operations since December 2015 as the police and armed forces seek to clear the PKK terrorist organization from urban areas.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, nearly 500 members of the security forces, including troops, police officers, and village guards, have been martyred, and over 4,900 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.