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| Turkey scales down curfew in mainly Kurdish town of Cizre | Turkey scales down curfew in mainly Kurdish town of Cizre |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| CIZRE, Turkey — Turkish authorities on Wednesday scaled down a 24-hour curfew imposed on the mainly Kurdish town of Cizre in southeast Turkey, nearly three weeks after declaring the successful conclusion of military operations there. | CIZRE, Turkey — Turkish authorities on Wednesday scaled down a 24-hour curfew imposed on the mainly Kurdish town of Cizre in southeast Turkey, nearly three weeks after declaring the successful conclusion of military operations there. |
| The curfew was lifted at 5 a.m., allowing residents to return to their conflict-stricken neighborhoods for the first time since Dec. 14. But it will remain in effect between 7:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. | The curfew was lifted at 5 a.m., allowing residents to return to their conflict-stricken neighborhoods for the first time since Dec. 14. But it will remain in effect between 7:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. |
| Residents began trickling back at first light, their vehicles loaded with personal belongings and, in some cases, children. A checkpoint manned by police and soldiers secured the entrance of the town. | Residents began trickling back at first light, their vehicles loaded with personal belongings and, in some cases, children. A checkpoint manned by police and soldiers secured the entrance of the town. |
| A second police checkpoint within Cizre carefully screened returning families, checking ID cards, padding down men, opening bags and examining the trunks of cars. | A second police checkpoint within Cizre carefully screened returning families, checking ID cards, padding down men, opening bags and examining the trunks of cars. |
| Mesut, travelling in a pickup truck with his seven children, including a toddler on his lap, said his family left 20 days after the start of military operations because of the intensity of the shelling and fighting. | Mesut, travelling in a pickup truck with his seven children, including a toddler on his lap, said his family left 20 days after the start of military operations because of the intensity of the shelling and fighting. |
| On an earlier trip to the town, undertaken by foot over valleys and ravines to sneak past security forces, he said he found that extensive damage had been done to his home. “The top floors were riddled with bullets,” Mesut, who declined to give his last name out of concern for his safety, told The Associated Press as he waited in line. | On an earlier trip to the town, undertaken by foot over valleys and ravines to sneak past security forces, he said he found that extensive damage had been done to his home. “The top floors were riddled with bullets,” Mesut, who declined to give his last name out of concern for his safety, told The Associated Press as he waited in line. |
| Hasim Kalkan, another Cizre resident, said: “We are not happy. We’re apparently going home, but we’re not sure if we even have a home. We don’t know for sure whether we’ll have a place to lay our heads down.” | Hasim Kalkan, another Cizre resident, said: “We are not happy. We’re apparently going home, but we’re not sure if we even have a home. We don’t know for sure whether we’ll have a place to lay our heads down.” |
| Armored vehicles roamed the town, which comprises mostly low- and some mid-rise buildings. | Armored vehicles roamed the town, which comprises mostly low- and some mid-rise buildings. |
| Cizre, a town of 132,000 near the borders of Syria and Iraq, is one of a handful of mainly Kurdish districts where security forces, backed by tanks, conducted operations against militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. | Cizre, a town of 132,000 near the borders of Syria and Iraq, is one of a handful of mainly Kurdish districts where security forces, backed by tanks, conducted operations against militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. |
| On Feb. 11, security forces in Cizre declared victory over the Kurdish rebels, who had raised barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives to protect the area in which they aspired for self-rule. The army says more than 600 Kurdish rebels were killed in Cizre. | On Feb. 11, security forces in Cizre declared victory over the Kurdish rebels, who had raised barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives to protect the area in which they aspired for self-rule. The army says more than 600 Kurdish rebels were killed in Cizre. |
| Advocacy groups repeatedly expressed concern over the high number of civilian casualties - at least 92 in Cizre alone, according to Turkish rights groups — amid such curfews. | Advocacy groups repeatedly expressed concern over the high number of civilian casualties - at least 92 in Cizre alone, according to Turkish rights groups — amid such curfews. |
| Amnesty International has said the curfews amount to “collective punishment.” | Amnesty International has said the curfews amount to “collective punishment.” |
| Ozturk Turkdogan, who heads the Ankara-based Human Rights Association, said an additional 171 bodies were retrieved from three basements in Cizre since Feb. 5. “We believe that these people were unarmed and civilians,” he told the AP. | Ozturk Turkdogan, who heads the Ankara-based Human Rights Association, said an additional 171 bodies were retrieved from three basements in Cizre since Feb. 5. “We believe that these people were unarmed and civilians,” he told the AP. |
| Turkdogan accused the authorities of using the time between the end of security operations and the lifting of the curfew to destroy any evidence of wrongdoing. “The basements were razed to the ground,” he said. | Turkdogan accused the authorities of using the time between the end of security operations and the lifting of the curfew to destroy any evidence of wrongdoing. “The basements were razed to the ground,” he said. |
| Police said the curfew could not be lifted immediately after the military operations ended because of the extent of explosives they had to clear. | Police said the curfew could not be lifted immediately after the military operations ended because of the extent of explosives they had to clear. |
| The government insists the operations were inevitable, arguing that “no country in the world would allow armed terrorist roaming its streets,” and says the curfews were necessary to protect residents. | The government insists the operations were inevitable, arguing that “no country in the world would allow armed terrorist roaming its streets,” and says the curfews were necessary to protect residents. |
| Curfews remain in place in the historic district of Sur in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir and in Idil, a district in Sirnak province. | |
| ___ | ___ |
| Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. | Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. |
| Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |