JINHA

AMED - This morning at 7:00 a.m., the Turkish state declared a curfew in the largely Kurdish town of Silvan. Three Silvan neighborhoods are currently blockaded by police and military forces.

Police announced the curfew this morning from armored vehicles. As the vehicles descended into the town, police deployed tear gas into even empty streets as sirens rang out from armored vehicles.

For months, local people in the town of Silvan have been resisting police attempts to enter their neighborhoods. The three centers of resistance--the Tekel, Mescit and Konak neighborhoods--have now been blockaded by police and soldiers armed with heavy weapons as helicopters circle overhead. The sound of gunshots intensified this morning as a serious attack began.

Police opened fire on transformers in the town center at the beginning of the curfew, leading to electricity cuts in some areas of the Silvan district.

(fk/cm)