Turkey Declares Curfew in Tense Eastern Town


Turkey Declares Curfew in Tense Eastern Town

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Authorities in the eastern province of Muş declared a curfew in the district of Varto on Sunday, saying the measure is necessary to restore security.

In a statement posted on its website, the Muş Governor's Office said members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been placing mines in several locations across Varto town center and that a curfew has been declared in an attempt to restore security as well as to prevent civilians from getting hurt during efforts to clear the mines.

The curfew went into force as of 8am local time (5 am GMT) and will be in place until further notice, Turkey-based newspaper Today Zaman cited a statement by the Governor's Office as saying on Sunday.

Varto is one of the eastern and southeastern districts where tension has escalated over the past few days after a declaration of “self-governance.”

The so-called people's assemblies in the southeastern districts of Silopi, Cizre, Nusaybin, as well as in Şırnak province, declared “self-governance” on Aug. 10, following clashes between PKK supporters and the police in Silopi that killed four people, including a policeman. Yüksekova district in the southeastern province of Hakkari and Varto and Bulanık districts of Muş followed suit soon after.

In a statement on Aug. 12, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella group that encompasses the PKK, said the people's assemblies in Silopi, Cizre, Nusaybin and Şırnak province have declared that they would not recognize any state institution, declare self-governance and "use their legitimate self-defense rights if their self-governance is attacked."

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