Silopi


Silopi is a Kurdish-majority city and district of Şırnak Province in Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region, close to the borders of Iraq and Syria. The district, composed of Silopi center, three townships with their own municipalities, and 23 villages, has an urban population of 73,400.The current mayor is Adalet Fidan.
The Habur frontier gate, the only major crossing between Turkey and Iraq, is in the district of Silopi and is a decisive factor in the region's economy. Queues of lorries waiting for customs and security clearance that sometimes reach a few dozen kilometers on the motorway connecting the two countries are a common sight. The Khabur River, which carries the same name as the frontier gate, crosses in the district territory and joins the Tigris here. The Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline also crosses the district.

History

Turkish authorities placed the city of Silopi under curfew from 14 December 2015 – 4 January 2016. According to the Peoples' Democratic Party, 20 people were killed. Since July 2015, 34 people have been killed in Silopi. On August 7, 2015, clashes between Turkish security forces and the Kurdish militant PKK group may have killed three people. Government reports claimed "terrorists" were killed, while pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party lawmaker Faysal Sarıyıldız said that the casualties were civilians and that he had seen no sign of armed militants, according to Reuters. The Kurdish-Turkish conflict in the region has escalated since late July 2015.

Industry

is claimed both to emit air pollution and to be an important source of employment.