Officials said nearly 200,000 people have been internally displaced in the tense southeastern region of Turkey after a sharp surge in terror attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). It is the local residents, who are hardest-hit by the circle of violence, amid sweeping operation is still underway to root out the PKK terrorists.
Local residents, who left their homes in Diyarbakır's Sur district spoke of their ordeal to Turkey's Yeni Şafak newspaper. A tradesman said he is worried about his neighbors, who failed to find a temporary shelter. “We have neighbors who are still there, but we are unable to contact them. We do not know how they are, what they eat and how they spend their days, " said the tradesman, who moved into a nearby safer area with his family, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We cannot return home. We left all our belongings behind. We are here today, but we will move to another place tomorrow. Those who have sufficient financial resources have settled in other regions. But what can people do if they cannot afford to settle a safer place like us?" he asked.
“Those who have been carrying out these malicious activities cannot be of Kurdish origin. They claim they have been fighting for us, but they do not fight for us," he noted. “It is we who suffer the greatest damage."
Turkey's retaliatory campaign, led by high-ranking military officers, continues unabated. The strikes dealt a heavy blow to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); at least 110 PKK terrorists have been reportedly killed. A huge crack team of 10,000 soldiers and security personnel has been involved in the sweeping operation in the region. Five thousand reinforcements will soon be deployed in the volatile region.
High-ranking military officials, including three lieutenant generals, eight brigadier generals and 26 colonels, coordinated the joint operation. Most of the families left their homes for security concern amid the ongoing operations which are being carried out to remove the PKK's barricades and fill the ditches they had loaded with explosives.
Another local man, who moved into a relative's house in a nearby area, said they narrowly escaped a rocket attack while they were trying to leave the tense area. “While we were leaving the home, there was a rocket attack outside. It was difficult to reach the main street under unsecure conditions," the tradesman, who refused to be named.
He also touched on their plight before leaving home. “We remained at home without water and power. We huddled under the same blanket to keep ourselves warn. We only had slices of dry bread to eat. As soon as the curfew was lifted, we left," he said.
“Now I am out of a job. We try to cope with financial difficulties. We can neither work nor cover our families' expenses."
Intelligence reports said the attacks have increased in the town especially after the killing of Diyarbakır's Bar President Tahir Elçi. “We have been stuck amid a chaotic situation. So, we left home with only one bag with the most important things," the local said.
Since 16 August 2015, curfew have been imposed and removed in 17 central districts across seven cities in the Southeast. Turkey's Human Right Foundation announcaed that the repeated curfews in the restive areas have caused a profound impact on more than one million of people in the region. Anti-terror raids have been held in Diyarvakır's province's five restive towns including Cizre, Silopi and Sur. Most of the central districts in the city of Diyarbakır have turned into ghost town.
