Curfews declared in two southeastern Turkish towns before large operations

Turkish security forces have stepped up vehicle and personnel deliveries to the southeastern towns of Yüksekova and Nusaybin, after curfews in both were declared on March 13 ahead of large-scale operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Around 100 mine-resistant armored vehicles arrived in the center of Yüksekova, in Hakkari province, after a curfew was declared earlier in the day with announcements from military vehicles and mosques in both Turkish and Kurdish.

The ?emdinli, Esendere, Da?l?ca and Van entrances to the town have now been put under strict control by the security authorities.

The Hakkari governor said the state "would help all locals who would like to move elsewhere during the curfew." 

The governorate said the indefinite curfew would go into effect at 10:00 p.m. on March 13 in downtown Yüksekova, as entrances and exits to the town were banned. The division command post in Yüksekova dispatched helicopters to the hills surrounding the district.

Just hours before the start of the curfew, four people, including a reporter, were wounded in a blast in the town's Orman neighborhood. The cause of the blast remained unclear. 

In Mardin province's Nusaybin, the curfew went to effect starting from midnight on March 13/14. 
Civilians started leaving several Nusaybin neighborhoods, where ditches were dug and barricades were erected by PKK militants. 

The Education Ministry sent a note to teachers working at public schools in Yüksekova as an apparent warning to make them leave the town, saying they could use their annual leave during the curfew period.

Meanwhile, operations in the restive Sur district in the center of the southeastern city of Diyarbak?r restarted on...