A day after the Turkish Interior Minister declared the military operation against the sieged town of Cizre “completed,” the military reported another 16 Kurds killed in the town, labeling them all “PKK militants.” They also reported recovering the bodies of another 24 “militants” killed over the course of the offensive.
In addition to the Cizre fighting, Turkish officials reported military forces killed several more PKK gunmen around the Syrian and Iraqi borders, claiming 27 were killed overall today.
Despite the report that the Cizre offensive is over, there is no sign yet that the 24-7 military curfew is going to be lifted. The curfew saw many residents fleeing the town while they still could, and many more trapped inside, with no access to supplies or humanitarian aid for weeks.
Human rights groups have blasted Turkey for its offensive against the southeast, which has reportedly caused hundreds of civilian deaths. Turkish officials have insisted everyone slain is PKK, and has threatened opposition figures who have echoed calls to end the fighting.