Almost a dozen regions in the province of Van have been declared ‘Temporary Special Security Zone’. The background to the measure is a new military operation by the Turkish army, which was launched on Friday. According to the governor’s office, the order will initially be in place for two weeks.

At least eleven villages in the district of Başkale, which is located in the southeast of Van, have been converted into temporary special security areas. These are higher mountain areas that border the neighbouring province of Hakkari. In addition, a ban on entry is in force in some villages outside the area of operations.

The creation of ‘special security zones’ is part of a larger development in which military zones are being established in various parts of Northern Kurdistan. As a result, entire areas are cut off from the outside world and are subject to the control and arbitrariness of the military. These measures are placing a significant burden on the Kurdish rural population and increasing the pressure on residents to leave the affected areas.