Residents have returned to the Kurdish town of Cizre in southeastern Turkey to find houses obliterated and bodies still lying among the rubble, according to reports from the Associated Press.
On Wednesday Turkish forces eased the 24-hour curfew that has been in place since Dec. 14, as Turkish government troops have conducted massive military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has aspired for Kurdish self-rule in southeast Turkey.
Cizre, home to some 130,000 people, has been one of the hardest-hit towns in the conflict in terms of casualities and the level of fighting. In Cizre alone, the Turkish military claims more than 660 militants were "neutralized."
With many buildings collapsed or gutted by shelling, the damage in Cizre evokes scenes from the war in neighboring Syria.
A curfew remains in force in the Sur district of Diyarbakir and in the town of Silopi.
Turkey continues to reject criticism from rights groups even as curfews cut residents off from basic supplies and medical help. The UN has also called on Turkey to investigate reports of unarmed civilians being shot by Turkish security forces.
Fighting has been ongoing in Turkey's southeast region after a ceasefire between the Turkish government and the PKK fell apart last July.
