Silopi residents face ruins as they return after 36-day curfew

Residents of the southeastern district of Silopi, who were forced to flee their homes during a 36-day curfew imposed to conduct military operations, have faced ruined homes amid a general scene of desolation.

"We couldn't even get water because we were afraid of the sounds of rockets and weapons. We suffered a lot," Silopi resident Mehmet ?im?ek told Agence France-Presse. ?im?ek said he was able to stay in his house for only 14 days.

"We have 10 children and we covered their ears with cotton swabs, fearing their ears would explode," ?im?ek said. "I hope no one suffers like us."   

The blanket curfew in Silopi, a town of 80,000 in the southeastern province of ??rnak, was imposed on Dec. 14 last year.

The curfew was lifted during daylight hours on Jan. 20, allowing residents to come to terms with the scale of the destruction that has resulted from the state's military operations against what that state says are outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry would dispatch a committee of officials to assess the damage incurred during the siege and prepare a draft to repair the destruction accordingly.

Silopi's curfew remains in place between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. 

"We stayed in our house. Some left, some didn't. We stayed for 12 days," AFP quoted Feyruze Buluttekin as saying. 

Buluttekin, a woman residing in Silopi, reportedly lamented the piteous state of her home, with its balcony collapsed in several places, its windows smashed and its floor ripped apart.

Do?an News Agency reported that a large number of residents, who returned to their ruined homes in the southeastern town, were making a tremendous effort to...