At least 30 people have died in clashes in the Turkish city of Cizre since a military operation began there last week, Turkey’s interior ministry says.<\/p>\n
The ministry says most of the dead were Kurdish militants but the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) says 20 civilians were killed in the violence.<\/p>\n
Locals say Cizre has been “under siege” since the military imposed a curfew.On Thursday police stopped a delegation of HDP leaders who were trying to reach the south-eastern city on foot.<\/p>\n
The group includes the party’s leader Selahattin Demirtas and 30 members of parliament, who say they want to draw attention to what is happening in the mainly Kurdish area. They were intercepted by police near Idil, 28km (17 miles) from Cizre.<\/p>\n
Turkey-PKK conflict: Why are clashes escalating?<\/strong> Interior Minister Selami Altinok said the curfew would continue until the military operation was completed.\u00a0Mr Demirtas warned the country was heading towards civil war.<\/p>\n Turkish prosecutors are currently investigating the HDP leader for insulting the president.\u00a0They want to have the MP stripped of his parliamentary immunity.\u00a0Turkey is to hold new elections in November after inconclusive polls in June.<\/p>\n In a separate development, the interim government has deported a Dutch journalist.\u00a0Freelancer Frederike Geerdink, who was arrested on Sunday, was accused of links to the PKK.<\/p>\n Earlier in the month, two British journalists with Vice News were deported. Their Iraqi colleague remains in detention.<\/p>\n More than 40,000 people have died since the PKK launched an armed campaign in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.<\/p>\n The ceasefire that began in 2013 unravelled in July, after a suicide bombing by suspected Islamic State militants near the border with Syria.\u00a0The attack led to mutual recriminations between Kurdish groups and Turkey.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At least 30 people have died in clashes in the Turkish city of Cizre since a military operation began there last week, Turkey’s interior ministry says. The ministry says most of the dead were Kurdish militants but the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) says 20 civilians were killed in the violence. Locals say Cizre has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":150560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[38,14],"yoast_head":"\n
\nDeadly clashes between Turkish forces and the militant Kurdish organisation, the PKK, have intensified since a ceasefire collapsed in July.
\nTurkish jets have bombed PKK bases in northern Iraq and the army has boosted security and imposed curfews across the south-east.
\nMr Demirtas said the humanitarian situation in Cizre was worsening, with people unable to buy bread or access water.
\nThe body of a 10-year-old boy killed in the violence was being kept in a refrigerator by family members because restrictions on movement meant they could not take him to the mortuary, the BBC was told.<\/p>\n