More than 20 Cizre civilians dead during eight-day curfew: Relatives

More than 20 civilians died in the southeastern town of Cizre of the ??rnak province in clashes during the eight-day curfew between Sept. 4 and 12, eyewitnesses and relatives of the dead have told news website Radikal, elaborating on how the civilian deaths occurred.

Sait Ça?davul, an 18-year-old boy living on Özkan Street of Cizre's Nur neighborhood, died on Sept. 5 after he was shot in the throat, his father Abdullah Ça?davul said. "My son lost his life in half an hour after he got shot. He has nothing to do with goings-on outside."

Mehmet Emin Levent, 21, a truck driver living on Kaynar Street in Nur, was dead on Sept. 5 after he was shot in the head, Levent's uncle, Ahmet Levent, said. "His father died in the month of Ramadan. He was the one who took care of the family. My nephew lost his life, too, on Sept. 5, but we were able to bury his body on Sept. 13."

On Sept. 6, Cemile Ça??rga, a 13-year-old girl living in Cizre's Cudi neighborhood, died shortly after she was shot. Her body was taken to a freezer, her family said, because of the hot weather and since the body was already not able to be buried due to clashes outside. "Cemile's death did rattle us, but not as dreadfully as much as putting her body into a deep freezer did. My mom stood still all along by the freezer," Cemile's brother, Musa, said.

Osman Ça?l?, 18, living in Cudi, was shot on Ziraat Street around 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, but lost his life on Sept. 7 because he was not allowed to be taken to the hospital, his father, Nuri Ça?l? said. "My son was preparing for the university entrance exam and wanted to get a job. He was shot for no reason."

Meryem Süne, a 45-year-old woman living in Cizre's Yafes neighborhood with her seven children, was shot in the...