Military Operation in Diyarbakır

A military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) at the region of the Görese Mountain in the province of Diyarbakır was started four days ago. The ground operation against the outlawed armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was still being continued on Monday (19 December) and supported by aerial strikes as well.

The Görese Mountain is located between the townships of Dicle (Diyarbakır) and Arıcak (Elazığ) in the pre-dominantly Kurdish region of south-eastern Turkey.

The Governor of Diyarbakır, Mustafa Toprak, said in a statement made on Monday, "We estimate that 40 to 50 PKK members came to the region from surrounding areas to the winter base. We assume that 15 to 20 PKK members were killed throughout the clashes during the past three days".

A group of people gathered in front to the Diyarbakır Provincial Presidency of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and set off by car to the township of Dicle. Among them were Van Deputy Aysel Tuğluk, Diyarbakır Deputy Nursel Aydoğan and Bitlis Deputy Hüsamettin Zendellioğlu.

At the Dicle township, the group of about a thousand people was about to walk towards the Görese Mountain but the police allowed access to the region only to the deputies.

A group of 15 people, including the deputies, walked towards the Görese Mountain but was stopped close to the mountain. They were not permitted to go any further and returned to Dicle thereupon.

Tuğluk announced later on that they went to the mountain in order to stop the operation and prevent people from dying. They also wanted to learn what was happening, Tuğluk said in the statement.

Tuğluk was quoted as saying by the Fırat News Agency: "We got to know that one helicopter crashed during the clashes". According to the agency, Zenderlioğlu said, "The intense dispatching of military troops to the region of the operation is still being continued". (NV/VK)