DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — For travelers in southeast Turkey, it's common in rural areas to see men in uniform armed with AK-47 assault rifles. They take part in operations with security forces, guard government facilities and clash with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but they are neither police nor soldiers. They're called “village guards.”
Some are full-time government employees; others are on short-term contracts. The village guard system is based on a law passed in 1924 that was updated and applied in 1985 when the PKK attacks started.
