A curfew has been imposed in 18 villages in the towns of Lice, Hazro ve Kocaköy, Diyarbakır province, the governor's office said on Friday.
The curfew took effect in the villages of Arıklı, Dibekköy, Çağdaş, Yolçatı, Serince, Kabakaya, Uçar, Kayacık, Esenler, Ziyaret, Ortaç, Çavundur, Dolunay, Bağlan, Yalaza Çitlibahçe, Boyunlu and Gözebaşı, at 5:00 a.m. on Sept. 23 as security forces have tried to root out a PKK terrorist group nearby, the authority has said in its statement.
Security forces will search members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the hills and woods near the towns of Lice and Hani and destroy targets, used as shelter, bunker and weapon position by PKK terrorists, the provincial governor said in a statement.
People will not be allowed to go outside until a second notification. "It is important for citizens to follow the ban for the security of their lives and property," the government's statement said.
Turkey, the EU and the U.S. regard the PKK as a terrorist organization. Turkish war planes have often struck PKK camps as part of the ongoing military campaign.
The strikes against PKK terror camps inside Turkey and in northern Iraq resumed on July 24 last summer after two officers were found dead in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa. The PKK claimed responsibility for the slayings, which were in reprisal for a suicide bombing, which left more than 30 people dead in Suruç town. They called off a ceasefire that had held since 2013 and resumed attacks.
Since then, curfews have been imposed in several cities in Turkey's southeast to eliminate the terror group. Gendarmerie and combat helicopters have also supported the sweeping operations.
