ŞIRNEX – Curfew, which was declared in Şırnak on March 14, is going to be lifted after eight months. The city’s people have lived in the tents for months in order to not leave their land.
 
Curfew was declared in Şırnak on March 14 in response to the people’s demand to govern themselves. Self-government resistance took place in seven neighborhoods of 12 neighborhoods of the city. On the heels of the declaration of the curfew, the resident of the city were forced to leave their homes by state forces. But the people who gave the greatest response to all the attacks, set up tents in Sanayi, Afet Konutları, Balveren, Avgamasiya, Kumçatı, Uludere, Güçlükonak, Biryan, Bilmat, Nerex, Zorava and the foothills of Cudi and Gabar mountains.
 
The resistance of the YPS and YPS-JIN
 
While the people continued their resistance out of the city center, the YPS and YPS-JIN resisted against tanks and heavy weapons for 85 days in the Yeni, Bahçelievler, Dicle, Cumhuriyet, İsmetpaşa, Gazipaşa and Yeşilyurt neighborhoods. State forces tried to enter the İsmetpaşa Neighborhood by destroying the city center bazaar.
 
The resistance around Şırnak
 
While city center was attacked by using heavy weapons and tanks for 85 days, Şırnak people continued their resistance in the tents around the city for nine months. State forces shelled Bilmat area, set up 10 kilometers away from Şırnak, and killed one citizen.
 
‘Operation ended’ but curfew continued
 
The state announced “the operations ended” on June 4; however, the destruction and pillage continued after the announcement. The people, who lived in the tents, were asked to leave and began to be detained. For one month, state forces threatened the people and then brought diggers to Afet Konutları to pull down the tents of displaced people. State forces told the people, “Go to Kirkuk, these lands are ours” and pulled down the tents. Despite that, the people didn’t leave their lands and began to live with their relatives in order to wait the opening of the city.
 
115 people lost their lives
 
115 people lost their lives in Şırnak during self-government resistance. 85 percent of the Şırnak city center has been razed to the ground. The state has expropriated the majority of the city center. Şırnak Municipality tried to launch a project to build 400 houses for displaced Şırnak people; however, the Governorate didn’t allow the project by saying, “unnecessary expenses”.
 
The curfew declared on March 14, will be lifted on November 14.