28 September 2010
Fourteen village guards in Yuksekova laid down their weapons
Fourteen village guards in Yuksekova district of Hakkari laid down their weapons. Aydin Er who gave his weapon back to the state officials after 21 years said: "I would get retired soon. However, the result of the boycott campaign and the massacre in Gecitli (peyanis) village made me to take this decision. Now the Kurdish people are all unified against denial and destruction but we village guards are out of our own people. It is the time for village guards to realise this fact."
It is reported that 14 village guards quit after the controversial roadside bomb attack in which 9 civilians lost their lives in Peyanis village. The village guards submitted their rifles back to the Gendarmerie Headquarters in Yuksekova.
One of the guards Fahri Oymen stated that he buried his weapon the day he was given and when he gave it back to Kamisli Gendarmerie station he faced an investigation on account of not looking after his weapon.
Meanwhile, Head of pro-Kurdish BDP office in Yuksekova welcomed the decision from village guards and said: "The village guards system is being used against our people for years and hopefully there will be more guards giving up their weapons."
ANF / YÜKSEKOVA
ANF NEWS AGENCY
