THE Turkish army has fought on and off against rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) since 1984. It is now hunting down their allies: mules. Turkish soldiers have killed at least 32 since March 23rd. Eight others tumbled off a nearby cliff as they fled the shooting. The slaughter is centred in Ortasu, a village in the mountainous south-eastern province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq. Animal-rights activists have protested, but to no avail.
The army says the crackdown is aimed at curbing a flourishing trade in contraband cigarettes, which helps to finance the PKK. Villagers deny any connection with the rebels. They say they resort to smuggling because there is no other work. Local officials who turn a blind eye are given a cut.
The agriculture ministry claims the animals are being put down because they carry disease. Their owners deny this, saying the campaign is a new form of repression of the Kurds. “Nobody came and checked our animals to see whether they were ill, they just shot them,” fumes Veli Encu, a self-appointed spokesman. “State-sanctioned murder in…