During the funeral of Serwer Qadir, a member of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga security forces killed by a Turkish airstrike in the region on Thursday, a tribal leader called for immediate intervention by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). “Either find us a new land to live on so we can leave this region, or stop these daily aerial attacks of war jets, bombardments, shellings and killings. They are in no way sustainable, no way acceptable!” he said.
Qadir, 34, a father of three, was killed in Nawirdarok near the Biradost border in the Erbil (Hewler) region on 18 April. As Turkish attacks in the area escalate the death toll has reached 10 this year alone. On the evening of Qadir’s death, another Turkish drone strike in Kobanê, northern Syria, left two civilians injured.
At Qadir’s funeral, the grief was palpable as a Bradostî tribal leader vocally criticised the ongoing Turkish military aggression. Addressing mourners and media, he stated, “These daily aerial attacks by war jets, bombardments, shellings, and killings are in no way sustainable, no way acceptable!” His call to action was directed at Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the KRG, stressing the urgent need for intervention to prevent further loss and suffering.
“Our community is impoverished and powerless. Everybody sees how we struggle and try to survive in these conditions. There is no other place we can migrate to. It is our only valley, where we live under these daily aerial attacks and fire from the Turkish Army,” he continued, reflecting the community’s desperation.
As Turkey prepares for a renewed offensive against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the situation remains dire. The Turkish military has established numerous bases within Iraqi Kurdistan, with forthcoming diplomatic discussions in the US on 9 May potentially influencing future military engagements. Amid these developments, the calls for peace and intervention grow louder.
