SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan Region’s border areas, particularly in Duhok province, have led to significant displacement, destruction, and economic hardships. According to a recent report by the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), these operations have forced 184 families to flee their homes, resulted in the evacuation of nine villages, damaged 19 residences, and devastated 68,000 dunams of forest and agricultural land over the past month.
The CPT report highlights the extensive civilian impact of these operations, which took place from June 15 to July 15. The report states that nearly 381 bombardments by the Turkish military primarily targeted Duhok province’s Amedi and Batifa districts. This has led to a significant humanitarian crisis, with many families losing their primary source of income and being forced to abandon their homes.
The report also indicated that these military actions have resulted in civilian casualties. The latest incident was recorded on July 12, when Nechirvan Hakim, a local shepherd, was injured by artillery shelling in Erbil’s Sidakan area. This brings the number of civilian casualties from Turkish military operations this year to nine, with eight deaths and one injury.
Displaced families are facing severe economic hardships, with many resorting to becoming laborers or fruit sellers to survive. The Turkish airstrikes have not only destroyed homes but also the livelihoods of these families, exacerbating their plight.
The CPT report further details the extensive damage to infrastructure and civilian property. “One church, one tahini factory, one car, two water projects, and 19 civilian houses have been damaged or destroyed,” the report states, underscoring the severe impact on both infrastructure and civilian property in the affected areas.
In addition to property damage, the ongoing airstrikes have targeted power grids in the villages of Bari Gare and Miska, leaving residents without access to electricity.
Telecommunication equipment and towers in 110 villages have also experienced disruptions, hindering villagers’ ability to communicate with their surroundings.
“The new military bases have imported and constructed telecommunication towers that have disrupted Kurdish telecommunication networks in over 110 villages,” clarified the CPT report, with local residents receiving messages such as “Goodbye from Iraq” and “Have a nice trip in Turkey.”
Turkey justifies its military operations in the Kurdistan Region by citing the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the need to ensure border security. Since 1991, these operations have resulted in at least 703 civilian casualties from the Kurdistan Region.
As the humanitarian and economic toll mounts, the ongoing conflict continues to disrupt the lives of countless civilians in the Kurdistan Region, leaving many to grapple with an uncertain future.
