Their stated purpose was to act as a local militia in towns and villages, protecting against attacks and reprisals from the insurgents of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The rationale behind the establishment of the village guards was that it would be helpful to the Turkish Army to have an additional force of people who knew the Southeastern Anatolia Region and the language in order to assist in military operations against the PKK.

[9] From 1985 to 1990, recruitment of village guards was mainly accomplished by negotiating with tribal chieftain, with the tribes being awarded greater autonomy rights in exchange for their services.

[10] The village guards are frequently targeted by PKK militants as they are seen as "traitors" for betraying the Kurdish nation or also seen as adherents to the feudal system.

[9] The commission of Unresolved Killings from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey came to the conclusion that most of drug trafficking in the region is controlled by the Village Guards who trusted in their protection from prosecution.

[17] Whilst not officially endorsed by the Turkish Government, some village guards are reported to have been involved in "disappearances", extrajudicial executions[18] and torture.

[21] A report by the Turkish Parliament in 1995 confirmed that village guards have been involved in not just these but a wide range of illegal activities, including killing, extortion, and drug smuggling.

[18] Human Rights Watch has stated that for years they have received reports of "violations by village guards—murders, rapes, robberies, house destruction, and illegal property occupation, among others".

[22] According to the US State Department, accepting to become a village guard is a voluntary process,[19] but there are other reports of forced recruitments.

In the evening, we staged what appeared to be a skirmish with the guerrillas, we shot at windows and also directed heavy weapons against the village.

Now, in order to deal with the unemployment in the region, the government hires young people who just finished military service as commando, to become a village guard.

[11] Tahir Adiyaman who reportedly had control over 5000 men in the region of Hakkari and Sirnak became a supporter of the village guard system.