6,320 buildings destroyed in five southeastern provinces amid clashes

ANKARA/HAKKARİ/MARDİN

AA photo

Some 6,320 buildings in five southeastern provinces have been destroyed amid security operations in the region against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmuş has said, adding that the number corresponds to approximately 11,000 residential units.

Kurtulmuş mentioned five southeastern districts in his speech, namely the Sur district of Diyarbakır province, the Silopi, İdil and Cizre districts of Şırnak province and the Yüksekova district of Hakkari province. 

“The number of buildings destroyed in the Sur, Silopi, Cizre, İdil and Yüksekova districts is 6,320. If we think of them in terms of flats, it’s approximately 11,000 units. The predicted cost to repair the buildings is around 855 million Turkish Liras,” Kurtulmuş told journalists at a press meeting after a cabinet meeting at Çankaya Mansion in the capital Ankara on May 30, citing a report by the Environment and Urbanization Ministry. 

Meanwhile, a curfew that was imposed on March 13 in Yüksekova has been partially lifted, making way for local citizens who left the district to avoid clashes between PKK militants and Turkish security forces to go back.

Most of the residents migrated to the eastern province of Van after the curfew came into force and additional trips were organized by companies for the residents who wanted to go back to Yüksekova.

“I’m happy to go back to my house. I only took my suitcase when I was leaving. I’m going back with the same one,” said Sevi Aslan, who moved to Istanbul three months ago in order to escape the clashes. 

“According to the information I received from the province, the doors of our house were broken, our clothes were burned and major destruction took place. We don’t accept this cruelty. We will continue to live in our province,” Aslan told Anadolu Agency on May 30. 

The damage assessment efforts in the province by a 100-person team from the Environment and Urbanization Ministry were ongoing.

Also on May 30, a PKK member in charge of the outlawed group’s militants in the area was killed in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern province of Mardin, according to military sources.

Zamani Çamak, codenamed “Hebatkar-Karker,” was killed in the security operations ongoing in the district and five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, two binoculars and two RPG-7 rocket launchers were seized after his death. 

Çamak was sought under the orange category by the Interior Ministry and 600,000 liras were offered by the ministry for information about his location.