JINHA

AGIRÎ – In the eastern province of Ağrı, the people of the town of Tutak have headed to the countryside hoping to put their bodies on the line to stop a Turkish military operation.

After the Turkish army launched a military operation on Mt. Tendürek in the same province last month, killing one civilian, many in Turkey have been alarmed by the sudden increase military activity. This makes for the third report of high military activity in the last few days—with just over a month to go before the Turkish elections.

Yesterday, soldiers apparently started a military operation in the rural area of Geventepe (Reşa Sebrî), 30 kilometers from the town of Karayazı in Erzurum province. Today, soldiers have also begun an apparent military operation in the village of Kartavin (Qertavin), in the Ağrı province district of Tutak. Local civilians have taken to the rural areas hoping to be human shields to stop the operation.

A large number of armored vehicles were deployed in the area between Karayazı, Patnos and Tutak early this morning. The local people, seeing the military deployment headed toward Mt. Qertavin, set out for the rural area to act as human shields to stop a potential operation and loss of life.

Local sources also say that there are reconnaissance flights and military aerial activity over the Malazgirt district of Muş province, making for three provinces with high military activity in a single 24-hour period.

(fk/cm)