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Some 200 Civilians Remain Blocked by Turkish Army in Southern Kurdish City

© REUTERS / Sertac KayarTurkish soldiers patrol in Sur district, which is partially under curfew, in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir
Turkish soldiers patrol in Sur district, which is partially under curfew, in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir - Sputnik International
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About 200 people remain locked in the basement of buildings in the Kurdish town of Sur in southern Turkey fearing Turkish army would open fire on them if they go to the streets, Co-Chair of the Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Kamuran Yuksek told Sputnik Turkey on Wednesday.

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Situation in Turkey's Kurdistan 'Should Be Reviewed by UNSC'
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A large-scale operation by the Turkish military is underway in the Kurdish-dominated Diyarbakir province, which has been gripped by violence between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants and Turkish security forces for months. Curfews remain in place across many districts in the area since December.

"Among these people there are representatives of the youth wing of the PKK, civilian population of the city, children, the elderly. According to our information, some 200 people are there," Yuksek said.

He added that one of the buildings has been recently shelled and collapsed, wounding 15 people in the basement.

The politician called on the Turkish society to protest Ankara's actions in the areas populated by Kurds.

"I want to appeal to the Turkish society about the need to unite to oppose such a policy of the Justice and Development Party's government in Ankara. The authorities' actions create a serious, deep division in our society," he pointed out.

According to Yuksek, Turkish political elite in order to justify and legitimize its aggressive policy has created a "paranoid concept of the existence of enemies seeking to dismember the state."

Relations between Ankara and the Kurds both inside the country and in Syria have been progressively worsening. Turkey links Syrian Kurds to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and labels both terrorist organizations.

Tensions escalated in July 2015, after 33 Kurdish activists were killed in a suicide blast in the Suruc district and two Turkish policemen were later killed by PKK, which led to Ankara's military campaign against the group.

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