Residents return to ravaged Turkish town as curfew lifted

Residents on Monday cautiously returned to a war-ravaged town in Turkey's southeast after authorities partially lifted a more than two-month curfew following a major operation against Kurdish militants. The curfew in Yuksekova, which has been in place since March 13, was lifted between 6:00am and 8:00pm (0300-1700 GMT) and the hours are to be further extended during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the local province of Hakkari said in a statement. After the measure was announced, hundreds streamed back to the town which lies in Turkey's extreme southeastern corner on the border with Iran and Iraq, an AFP photographer said. On some streets, there were near apocalyptic scenes, with some buildings reduced to mountains of rubble while others sustained severe damage. Elsewhere, a young man walked through the devastation, waving a two-finger victory sign to passers-by. Hakkari governor's office said that thanks to "successful operations" by the military, residents would again be able to live in "peace and tranquility". And it said that schools which had been closed since March 14 would now reopen. The Turkish military has carried out long, curfew-backed operations in a string of towns and cities in a bid to eliminate militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from urban centres in the southeast. The authorities insist it was the only way to ensure security but activists claim civilians lost their lives due to needless force. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that a total of 6,320 buildings had been badly damaged or destroyed following clashes in five areas, including Yuksekova, and that rebuilding would cost one billion lira ($340 million/303 million euros). State media said that a rebuilding process would now begin in Yuksekova, backed by interest-free loans.