10 questions to understand clashes in Turkey's southeastern Cizre district

The Cizre district in the southeastern province of ??rnak has witnessed a series of deadly clashes over the past month, threatening the ongoing Kurdish peace process and becoming a point of bitter dispute between President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirta?.

What do the clashes in Cizre mean for the region? Who is involved? Where does the tension put the peace process?

1. What is going on in Cizre?

Cizre, which is located on the Syrian border, neighbors one of the three cantons established by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria: Jazeera. Cizre is also only 20 kilometers away from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. As a result, the heat of the fight across the border between the Kurds and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is being felt in Cizre.

Recent events in Cizre started off an extension of the clashes that took place on Oct. 6-7 in many of Turkey?s southeastern provinces, between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) and the outlawed Islamist Kurdish movement Hizbullah?s legal political extension, the Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par). In addition to this, many youngsters have gone to fight against ISIL in Iraq?s Sinjar region, and the Syrian cities of Kobane and Rakka. The reaction against ISIL, as well as Hüda-Par, particularly spiked after the funerals of 20 youngsters, killed in fighting across the border.

2. Who are the actors clashing in Cizre?

There are two main visible actors in Cizre clashing. One is the YDG-H, whose members call themselves the ?Tiger Team? and conduct identity, car and body searches from 9 p.m. until sunrise. The other youth organization calls itself the ??eyh Sait Youth,?...