Turkey: Sirnak residents return after 246-day curfew

By Ekrem Payan, Zekeriya Gunes and Simal Muldur

SIRNAK, Turkey

Residents of the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak have begun to return home after a 246-day curfew was partially lifted on Monday.

Families who fled the area during the operations against the terrorist organization PKK, were confronted with ruined homes upon their arrival.

"The curfew will be lifted between 5.00 a.m. [0200GMT] and 10.00 p.m. [1900GMT] every day as of Nov. 14,” the provincial governor, Ali Ihsan Su, said on Sunday.

The governor added that the damages caused by PKK attacks in the area would be soon compensated.

The curfew in Sirnak, a city of 290,000, was imposed on March 14 in order to cleanse it of PKK terrorists, to fill in trenches, remove barricades and destroy explosive traps, according to the military.

Since the operation started in Sirnak province, 508 terrorists were killed and 1,845 improvised explosive devices were destroyed. At least 39 pits were filled and 240 barricades removed, according to security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Residents are now allowed to enter the city through security checkpoints. People carrying their belongings formed long lines. Early Monday also saw several shops opening.

Students have also returned to school after an eight-month hiatus despite the fact that certain buildings were heavily damaged due to PKK attacks.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year.

Since then, PKK terrorist attacks martyred more than 700 security personnel and also claimed the lives of many civilians, including women and children, while nearly 8,000 PKK terrorists were killed in army operations.