Şırnak

History

In the 9th century AD, during the weakening of the Abbasid Caliphate, several Kurdish emirates were formed. One of which was the Marwanid dynasty, which encompassed the city of Şırnak. In the late summer and fall of 2015, following the 2014 Kobanî protests and breakdown of the 2013–2015 PKK–Turkey peace process, which were part of the broader third phase of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict, local Kurdish youth and activists, with some of them being affiliated with the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), and later YPS, organized popular protests, riots, and declared "self-management" in the city of Şırnak. On 13 March 2016 military operations by Turkish forces began in the city against supposed "PKK militants." The military curfew imposed on the city was lifted after 246 days. Neighborhoods such as Gazipaşa, Yeşilyurt, İsmetpaşa, Dicle, Cumhuriyet, and Bahçelievler were completely destroyed during the fighting, with allegations of systematic destruction and human rights violations committed by Turkish security forces. Mehmet Ali Aslan, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), stated that around 50,000 people were left homeless in Şırnak and that “no residential areas remained” following the military operation. He told an investigatory committee that the destruction in Şırnak resembled scenes from Aleppo or cities in the West Bank after visiting the city.