As a result of PKK conflicts nnd the Turkish army in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region with Turkey, the border villages of Zakho have suffered heavy losses. In the last 3 months and 20 days, 5 villages in Batifa district have been completely evacuated and 20 villages have been completely occupied following the Turkish army operation.<\/p>\n
Asad Abdurahman, a resident of Keshaneh village in the area, was one of the victims of the clashes and was wounded by Turkish fighter jets. Mr. Asad Abdurahman says in an interview:<\/p>\n
“Since 1991, the PKK has deprived us of security and peace by settling in this area. Before the PKK, we had a very good life with livestock, agriculture, beekeeping and planting summer crops. But now the situation is completely different and we do not even dare to go to the village to live there.”<\/p>\n
This Kurdish citizen, who was also a Peshmerga before, addressed the PKK. “If you really want to be kind to the Kurds, the best option is to leave the area so that people can resume their normal lives. Believe me, you have endangered our lives,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Asad Abdurahman also calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in cooperation with the Iraqi central government, to ensure the security of its citizens within the framework of its duties and to counter the PKK. So far, as a result of conflicts, the PKK destroyed our village four times, we rebuilt it, and this process continues.<\/p>\n
The director of the Batifa district, affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), also confirmed the statements of Assad Abdurahman:<\/p>\n
“As a result of the Turkish attacks and the clashes between the Turkish army and the PKK, a large number of people in the villages have suffered material losses and sometimes casualties. The people of the border villages are unable to take care of their farms, which has led to their migrating to the cities, and that creates problems for the cities.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, official statistics show that so far more than a thousand villages in the Kurdistan Region have been evacuated due to the presence of the PKK.<\/p>\n
Link to the video file of Mr. Asad Abdurahman’s remarks:<\/p>\n