As fears grow of an imminent full-scale cross-border invasion by Turkish forces into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), residents continue to face the threat of village evacuation. Kamran Osman, head of Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Human Rights Division, stated that 161 villages were completely evacuated in recent years, with over 602 villages under threat due to Turkish bases and attacks, according to VoA Kurdish.
Ongoing Turkish attacks in recent months have led to the evacuation of a further 10 villages and numerous civilian casualties.
Roj News recently reported fresh Turkish army convoy movements in the area, according to Hawar News Agency, prompting renewed concern within the local communities.
The deployment of central Iraqi military bases in the Kurdistan Region has enabled residents from 24 villages near the border to return to their homes, having deserted them due to fear of Turkish bombardments, CPT reported.
Since the beginning of the year, the Iraqi government has stationed several military bases in the region, housing border guards near Turkish bases.
Turkey established 64 military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, extending 12 to 40 kilometres into Iraqi territory, between December 2017 and April 2022, according to CPT research. A total of 1,159 Turkish attacks were conducted, including 228 by drones, with the remainder involving helicopters, artillery and bombings.
Iran has also conducted 101 attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan, with eight civilians killed in the first four months of this year alone. Four of these civilians were from villages near Gara Mountain.
According to Hashim Omer Kashani, a village representative (mukhtar), 10 villages were evacuated in Kashan, an area just a few kilometres from the Turkish border. However, since the arrival of the Iraqi army, the area has become more peaceful, he said. The presence of Iraqi border guards has reportedly increased the security of the region and reduced the fear of Turkish attacks among the locals.
Turkey plans a broader offensive this summer, citing the need to protect its borders from the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). Osman stated that Turkey is focusing on the villages of Gare and Matina, as the PKK stages attacks against the Turkish forces in both areas. Additionally, he noted that airplanes conduct daily training flights over the Gara Mountain, deemed by locals as further preparations.
