JINHA

ŞIRNEX - In the Kurdish town of Silopi, in Şırnak province of Turkey, residents report being besieged in their neighborhood by police. Fears of a massacre are on the rise.

People in the Zap neighborhood of Silopi had dug trenches in the neighborhood to prevent police from conducting the operations and house raids that have swept the Kurdish region recently. Early this morning, police attempted to enter the neighborhood. When locals resisted, police fired on civilians and killing two early this morning. Police killed 58-year-old HamdinUlaşand 17-year-old Mehmet Tanboğa. Dozens more were wounded.

It emerged that Mehmet Tanboğa had been headed to put out the fire that had emerged in the neighborhood when police shot him down. Locals tried to take him to the hospital in a car, but as the car reached the hospital, police opened fire on the vehicle. Doctors were not given permission to intervene and Mehmet died at the door to the hospital. 58-year-old HamdinUlaş was also shot and killed while trying to extinguish a fire.

Only the seriously wounded have been admitted to Silopi StateHospital. Police arriving at the hospital are also reported to be forcibly fingerprinting the wounded waiting for admittance.

An eyewitness at the hospital reports that there are currently five wounded in the hospital, but staffing is inadequate for all of the wounded. One of the seriously wounded is a 15-year-old girl. A seven-year-old child is also among the wounded.

According to interviews by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Parliamentary representatives at the hospital, around 10 wounded were taken to the police station rather than the hospital. One of them is reported to be in serious condition.

The neighborhood is still in a state of disarray, with armored vehicles and special operations teamson the scene. Helicopters are circling the neighborhood. Snipers have been positioned on the roofs of the police station and traffic police station. Police, backed up by snipers, are refusing to let anyone leave the neighborhood and have begun house raids.

(ma/fk/cm)