JINHA

COLEMÊRG - In the Kurdish town of Yüksekova, Turkish police and soldiers have attacked neighborhoods where residents formed self-defense units. Three are dead.

As the Turkish state escalated its attacks on Kurdish citizens, residents of the town of Yüksekova formed self-defense units in several neighborhoods. Yesterday night at 11:30 p.m., the provincial governor declared a curfew in the town. Five minutes later, police and soldiers launched an attack.

The attack began with a mortar bombardment on civilian areas. As military armored vehicles entered the neighborhoods, violent clashes began.

Clashes lasted from 11:35 p.m. until 7:00 this morning. Electricity and telephone lines went out in the neighborhood as the sounds of explosions rose from the streets. Residents of other neighborhoods chanted slogans of support until the morning came.

At least three people have died in the attack. More than ten have been wounded, some seriously. Residents have looked after the wounded in their homes. With the first light today, hundreds headed to the Orman neighborhood, the center of the clashes. Security forces opened fire on the crowd from armored vehicles. Howver, the crowd overcame police barricades to treat those wounded on the barricades. Mosques issued a call from their speakers for all Yüksekovans to come to the aid of the wounded. Police withdrew to main roads.

Gunshots continue to echo in the area, where clashes are ongoing. Many homes have been destroyed.

(at/fk/cm)