Clashes erupt during Kurdish protest in southeast Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey – Clashes have erupted in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir during protests against security operations.

Thousands of demonstrators rallied Saturday to demand an end to military operations and the 24-hour curfew imposed on parts of the city's historic Sur district since December.

Turkish security forces fired water cannons and tear gas to break up the demonstration, which had been called by a pro-Kurdish political party. Some protesters hurled stones at the police.

Turkish security forces have embarked on large-scale operations to flush out Kurdish militants and slapped round-the-clock curfews in several municipalities.

A tenuous peace process between Turkey's government and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, unravelled in July, reviving three decades of conflict that has cost more than 40,000 lives.