A new enterprise for Turkish soldiers in Hakkari: trash clean-up

A group of 500 or so brigade members, joined by their spouses and children, marched through Hakkari carrying trash bags and picking up garbage from the streets and sidewalks. Walking with megaphones, the soldiers in civilian clothing called on Hakkari citizens to join in their efforts to help clean up the city. Posters carried by the group underscored the tension between the Mountain and Commando Brigade and the local largely Kurdish government: some of the words read "Municipality, don't be divisive, but do your job." Other banners challenged the local government directly:

"Municipality, we are here; where are you?"

The group of soldiers from the brigade was led by General Azmi Utku Cinek, the top general in command in Hakkari. The trash clean-up effort wound its way through Hakkari streets, ending finally in front of the main municipality building in downtown Hakkari, from whence the group dispersed.