It has also re opened old wounds and anxieties in southeast Turkey’s deeply traumatized population . For the Kurds, many of whom distrust the intentions of the central government in Ankara , it is only reinforcing longstanding disaffection. While these deadly mortar attacks are new, Turkey’s southeast is no stranger to conflict. Thousands have been killed in Turkish military campaigns against the P.K.K., and tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced since the 1980s. The entire region is heavily policed today, and most Kurds interviewed refused to give their names, saying they risked detention.

Source: New York Times October 21, 2019 15:21 UTC