Ihsan Chalabi, head of the district, told Rudaw that the Turkish army, in an offensive against the PKK, has pushed 19 kilometres into Sidakan and reached Mount Del.
Many of the villages have been vacant since 1991 “due to the presence of PKK,” Chalabi said, accusing the PKK of “taxing” the residents, especially farmers and beekeepers.
The people of Sidakan largely rely on agriculture and livestock, but Chalabi said villagers have had problems earning an income for years because of the conflicts. He said the people are waiting for the PKK to leave so they can return home.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has denied claims it has been levying taxes on villagers, insisting it is there to “defend” the people of the region.
Bager Erdal, commander of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), told the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency (ANF) on Saturday that its forces will continue their attacks against Turkish forces in the Bradost Mountains.
“We will continue our actions … We will never accept the occupation of Southern Kurdistan by the Turkish state. We will not allow the Turkish state to feel safe on Kurdish soil.”
Erdal accused the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of “allowing” Turkey to “occupy” the region.
“Due to some agreements, the Turkish state was allowed to occupy Southern Kurdistan. The regional government of Kurdistan knows about it. If it had not given their permission and some preliminary meetings hadn’t taken place, then they [Turkey] could not have started this invasion. The operation aims to destroy the PKK. But this is just an excuse. Their real goal is the complete occupation of Kurdistan,” claimed Erdal, ANF reported.
District official Chalabi said Peshmerga are not in the area.
Safeen Dizayee, spokesperson for KRG, said on Tuesday that more than 350 villages have been evacuated in the Kurdistan Region due to presence of PKK guerrillas, adding “we have always wanted the PKK to withdraw from the region.”
Fierce fighting recently took place between the PKK and Turkish army in the Lelikan hills in Sidakan, HPG said in a statement, reported by ANF.
The PKK said it killed 15 Turkish soldiers and destroyed some military artillery, without giving details of its own casualties.
The PKK is a named terrorist organization which has waged a decades-long war against Turkey, aimed at achieving rights of self-determination for over 20 million Kurds in the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regularly threatened to launch cross-border operations against the Kurdish guerrillas in Shingal and Qandil. Its air force frequently attacks suspected PKK hideouts in the northern Kurdistan Region, reportedly killing several civilians.
Updated at 5:02 pm
