Bill passes to downgrade 2 SE Turkish provinces

By Seval Guler

ANKARA (AA) – A draft law to change the administrative status of two southeastern provinces and two districts was accepted by the Turkish parliament late Friday.

The measure will downgrade Hakkari and Sirnak provinces to districts while being renamed Colemerik and Nuh, respectively.

It also approved province status to the Yuksekova and Sirnak's Cizre districts in Hakkari.

Both districts have been a focal point of ongoing anti-terror operations launched by the Turkish Armed Forces to clear cities of PKK terrorists, fill trenches, remove barricades and destroy explosive traps.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

More than 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have since been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed or neutralized in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

*Burcu Arik contributed to this report.