14 Killed as Kurdish Protesters Clash With Police in Eastern Turkey

Interior Ministry Imposes Curfew on Five Provinces

Pro-war demonstrations in Turkish Kurdistan exploded into violence today, leaving at least 14 people dead and scores wounded across the region in eastern Turkey.

The protesters were demanding Turkey intervene militarily against ISIS offensives targeting Syrian Kurdish towns, and centered around the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city in Turkey.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had warned Turkey that if they didn’t intervene to stop ISIS from taking the town of Kobani it would mean an end to Kurdish peace talks with the Turkish government.

The Interior Ministry has announced a curfew across five provinces in Turkey’s southeast, and accused Kurdish protesters of “betraying their own country” with the rallies, threatening reprisals against them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.