According to media reports, heavy weapons are being used in the ongoing fighting between security forces and PKK terrorists in Cizre, where many homes have been destroyed due to explosions. The number of casualties has been increasing day by day, the reports say. The delegation made up of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which includes the party's leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, two ministers and dozens of lawmakers, is being prevented by security forces from marching towards Cizre to make first-hand inspections in the district. The delegation set off on Wednesday to reach Cizre, which no one has been able to leave or enter, amid clashes between security forces and the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The HDP delegation consists of Development Minister Müslüm Doğan, European Union Affairs Minister Ali Haydar Konca, HDP leader Demirtaş and around 30 deputies. After being intercepted by security forces on their way to Cizre, the delegation left their vehicles behind and continued on foot on Wednesday, in order to draw attention to the violent incidents in the district. The delegation spent Wednesday night in Şırnak's İdil district and attempted to continue their march to Cizre at about 4 a.m. on Thursday. The delegation was stopped by armored vehicles and water cannons on the Midyat-İdil road. Citing an order from the Şırnak Governor's Office, the security forces said they were ordered to block the road. The HDP delegation then left the road and attempted to walk to Cizre via a mountain path. After walking about a kilometer, the delegation was stopped by riot police. Media reports say that a scuffle erupted between the riot police and lawmakers in the delegation, with several police officers pushing the lawmakers back with their riot shields during the scuffle. Demirtaş voiced objections to the riot police, saying that the police cannot stop them because where they are marching is not under the jurisdiction of the police, but the authority of the gendarmerie. The tension between the police and the delegation members lasted for several hours in the mountainous area between Şırnak's İdil and Cizre districts. Finally, the delegation decided to return to İdil. One member of the delegation, HDP İstanbul deputy Garo Paylan, shared photos on his Twitter account and said the police had blocked the group from entering Cizre. A journalist named Fuat Yaşar also shared photos on his Twitter account and claimed that the police assaulted the deputies and that several special operations teams were deployed in the area.
