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Residents return to Turkish town of Cizre, find it destroyed Residents return to Turkish town of Cizre, find it destroyed
(about 3 hours later)
CIZRE, Turkey — Residents returned to the flashpoint town of Cizre, in southeastern Turkey, Wednesday to find many of their homes destroyed and at least one body still lying inside a destroyed house. CIZRE, Turkey — The stench of death and the smell of gunpowder rose from mounds of rubble Wednesday as residents of the Turkish town of Cizre returned to find many of their homes obliterated amid Turkey’s efforts to crush Kurdish militants. At least one body was still lying inside a ruined house.
A first wave of arrivals reached the town at the break of dawn, their vehicles loaded with personal belongings and, in many cases, children, after authorities partially lifted a 24-hour curfew that had been imposed to facilitate security operations against Kurdish militants. Cizre is one of a handful of mainly southeastern Kurdish districts where Turkey’s security forces, backed by tanks, have conducted extensive operations against militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The militants want autonomy for Kurds in Turkey’s southeast, and had raised barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives to protect areas where they had aspired for self-rule.
Police carefully inspected their documents as well as the contents of their cars and bags as they trickled into the town near the banks of the Tigris river. On Wednesday, the Turkish military eased the 24-hour curfew it imposed on Dec. 14, although it still holds between 7:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. The reprieve comes three weeks after authorities on Feb. 11 declared the successful conclusion of military operations to stamp out the rebels.
The level of damage in some neighborhoods evoked the early days of military conflict in neighboring Syria with buildings gutted by shelling or partially collapsed. Shell casings littered the streets of the Sur neighborhood where residents made a grisly discovery — the corpse of an unidentifiable male. The town of 132,000 near the banks of the Tigris river and the borders of Syria and Iraq has been the worst hit in terms of the scale of the fighting and the casualty toll. The level of damage seen in some neighborhoods Wednesday evoked the early days of the war in neighboring Syria, with buildings gutted by shelling or partially collapsed.
The stench of death also rose from the rubble of a collapsed building in the same area. Residents said the basement had been used a shelter and that it was demolished by the security forces. The army says more than 600 Kurdish rebels were killed in Cizre. Human rights groups say 92 civilians were killed in the town during the military operation and another 171 bodies have been found since hostilities halted Feb. 11.
“Those who did this are not humans,” said Cizre resident Serif Ozem. “What took place here is a second Kobane in a country that is supposed to be a democracy.” Kobane is a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria that suffered a brutal siege at the hands of the Islamic State group. The first wave of residents reached the town at dawn Wednesday, their vehicles loaded with personal belongings and children. Police carefully inspected their documents as well as the contents of their cars and bags.
In the battle-scarred Sur neighborhood several shops and homes had their walls blasted open, gaping craters offering a peek into the daily lives disrupted by the curfew imposed on Dec. 14. Windows were shattered and doors unhinged, the smell of gunpowder still clinging to the morning breeze. What the returnees found shocked them.
The round-the-clock curfew was scaled down Wednesday, although it will still hold between 7:30 p.m. and 5 a.m.  The reprieve comes three weeks after authorities declared the successful conclusion of military operations to stamp out rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Shell casings littered the battle-scared streets of the Sur neighborhood, where residents made a grisly discovery — the corpse of an unidentifiable male. The stench of death also rose from a collapsed building in the same area. Residents said security forces had demolished the building’s basement, which was being used a shelter.
Curfews remain in place in the historic district of the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir — which is also called Sur — and in Idil, a district in Sirnak province, where Turkish forces are continuing their operations against Kurdish militants. “Those who did this are not human,” said Cizre resident Serif Ozem. “What took place here is a second Kobani in a country that is supposed to be a democracy.”
In Diyarbakir, an improvised explosive device went off prematurely, killing a suspected bomber and wounding four children, the governor’s office said. It said authorities believe the man, who had previously been detained for links to the Kurdish rebels, detonated the bomb accidently on Monday as he was carrying it. Kobani is a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria that suffered a brutal siege at the hands of the Islamic State group.
In Cizre, Ayse Magi, a mother of five, inspected the damage done to her modest home with tears in her eyes. Two mortars had punctured the ceiling of her bathroom and hallway.  She is among many residents who were displaced by the fighting but chose to remain within the city despite the grueling 24-hour curfew. Several shops and homes in the Sur neighborhood had their walls blasted open. Windows were shattered and doors unhinged, the smell of gunpowder still clinging to the breeze.
“The shelling came all the way here, there is no way we can live here,” she told The Associated Press. Turkish military-imposed curfews remain in the historic district of the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir — which is also called Sur — and in Idil, a district in Sirnak province, where Turkish forces are continuing operations against Kurdish militants.
Shoe-store owner Nesim Cavusoglu, who also stuck out the curfew, despaired over the destroyed facade of his business, one of many buildings to suffer extensive damage. “This is all that is left,” he said gesturing at the rubble and a handful of shoe boxes still stacked on a shelf.  Amnesty International says the curfews amount to “collective punishment.”
Graffiti in his neighborhood spelled out PKK and the initials of its female and male urban youth wings, YDG-H and YDGK-H.  ”Kurdistan” was scribbled on several storefronts and the portraits of slain Kurdish female fighters adorned an alleyway wall.  Two large booms were heard in the morning, which police said were controlled explosions to clear booby traps. In Diyarbakir, an improvised explosive device went off prematurely, killing a suspected bomber and wounding four children, the governor’s office said. It said authorities believe the man, who had links to the Kurdish rebels, detonated the bomb accidently on Monday as he carried it.
Armored vehicles roamed the town, of some 132,000 people near the borders of Syria and Iraq. The security forces had on Feb. 11 declared victory over the Kurdish rebels, who had raised barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives to protect the area in which they aspired for self-rule. The army says more than 600 Kurdish rebels were killed in Cizre. During the curfew in Cizre, some people stayed put in the worst-hit neighborhoods like Sur, Cudi and Nur while others fled.
Advocacy groups repeatedly expressed concern over the high number of civilian casualties - at least 92 in Cizre alone, according to Turkish rights groups — amid the curfews. Ayse Magi, a mother of five who sought safety elsewhere in the town, inspected the damage to her modest home with tears in her eyes Wednesday. Two mortars had punctured the ceiling of her bathroom and the hallway.  
Amnesty International has said the curfews amount to “collective punishment.” “There is no way we can live here,” she told The Associated Press.
Ozturk Turkdogan, who heads the Ankara-based Human Rights Association, said an additional 171 bodies were retrieved from three basements in Cizre since Feb. 5. “We believe that these people were unarmed and civilians,” he told the AP. Shoe-store owner Nesim Cavusoglu, who also stuck out the curfew, despaired over the destroyed facade of his business.
Turkdogan accused the authorities of using the time between the end of security operations and the lifting of the curfew to destroy any evidence of wrongdoing. “The basements were razed to the ground,” he said. “This is all that is left,” he said gesturing at the rubble and a handful of shoe boxes.
Police said the curfew could not be lifted immediately after the military operations ended because of the extent of explosives they had to clear. Graffiti in his neighborhood spelled out PKK and the initials of its female and male urban youth wings, YDG-H and YDGK-H.  ”Kurdistan” was scribbled on several storefronts and portraits of slain Kurdish female fighters adorned an alleyway wall. 
The government insists the operations were inevitable, arguing that “no country in the world would allow armed terrorists to roam its streets,” and says the curfews were necessary to protect residents. Gov. Ali Ihsan Su of Sirnak province warned returning Cizre residents to be careful about possible undetected explosive devices in their homes. Three large booms were heard in the morning, which police said were controlled explosions to clear booby traps.
Blaming the militants for the destruction of the town, the governor said 708 barricades were dismantled, 264 trenches were filled and 1,409 improvised explosive devices were disposed of. In addition, security forces seized “large numbers” of automatic weapons, other firearms and hand grenades.
“They destroyed houses by placing explosives from the kitchens to the bedrooms. They attacked callously and mercilessly, without distinguishing between military, police, women, men, old or young,” Su told reporters.
The government says more than 300 security force members have died since July fighting Kurdish rebels.
Advocacy groups, meanwhile, repeatedly expressed concern over the high number of civilian casualties amid the government military operation. Ozturk Turkdogan, who heads the Ankara-based Human Rights Association, said an additional 171 bodies have been retrieved from three basements in Cizre since Turkey declared the battle over.
“We believe that these people were unarmed and civilians,” he told the AP.
Turkdogan also accused the authorities of using the time between the end of security operations and the lifting of the curfew to destroy any evidence of wrongdoing.
“The basements were razed to the ground,” he said.
Police said the curfew could not be lifted immediately after the military operations ended because troops had to clear leftover explosives.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has promised to reconstruct Cizre and other districts ruined by the fighting.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has promised to reconstruct Cizre and other districts ruined by the fighting.
The PKK, considered a terror group by Turkey and its allies, has been waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then. The PKK, considered a terror group by Turkey and its allies, has been waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then. A fragile two-year-old peace process with the rebels broke down in July.
A fragile two-year-old peace process with the rebels broke down in July. Nurettin Guler, a 55-year old who stayed in Cizre amid the worst fighting, was pessimistic about the next phase.
“They say the operations have ended but we just don’t know,” he told the AP. “If peace isn’t achieved ... it’s not over.”
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Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey and Mehmet Guzel in Cizre contributed to this report.Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey and Mehmet Guzel in Cizre contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.