Tanks patrol Kurdish town

Sirnak, Turkey (Reuter) - Tanks and armoured vehicles patrolled deserted streets in this Kurdish town in south-east Turkey yesterday after thousands of residents had fled.

Mahmut Alinak, a Kurdish member of Turkey's parliament, estimated that 20,000 civilians, had left for neighbouring villages after last week's fighting between security forces and Kurdish rebels. 'People whose homes have been destroyed . . . say the attacks came from state forces and the extent of damage in Sirnak shows this,' he said. The government says hundreds of Kurdish Workers Party fighters attacked official buildings.