Two civilians abducted to operation area in Yüksekova

The Turkish military abducted two young people from a village in Yüksekova district of Hakkari to an operational area. Apparently, the two civilians were to be used as cannon fodder as part of the so-called “counterinsurgency” against the Kurdish guerrillas. Lawyer Selam Kom from the bar association of Hakkari told the Mezopotamya news agency (MA) that he, accompanied by several colleagues, had made his way to the affected locality immediately after the incident became known, but their access had been blocked by the Turkish army.

“At around 3 o’clock last night, a siege ring was drawn around the village of Mûşan. Shortly after, the military announced over loudspeaker that an operation had been launched in the surrounding area,” said lawyer Selam Kom. As a result, he said, the army issued a curfew and sealed off all entrances and exits to the town. “Against strong protests from their parents, the two teenagers, Davut and Abbas, were subsequently taken by soldiers to the operation area. When we arrived in the area, we were denied passage to Mûşan. We were prevented from speaking to our clients in person,” said Kom.

For hours, the situation was completely tense and threatened to escalate. The parents of the two youths were very frightened and worried about their children. The chairman of the branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), Yusuf Çobanoğlu, was also denied access to the village of Mûşan by the Turkish military.

It was not until late Friday morning that the father of one of the teenagers was informed of the whereabouts of the two, he said. According to the report, Davut and Abbas are at the Turkish military base in the center of Yüksekova.