Zakho Kurds vacate another village as Turkey deploys more troops: officials
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Residents have abandoned another village in the northern Kurdistan Region late on Friday as Turkey continues its military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Dlsher Abdulsattar, mayor of Batifa subdistrict in Zakho, Duhok province, told Rudaw that the village of Avla has been vacated due to a Turkish offensive that began on Thursday.
Turkey began air and ground military operations in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq's disputed territories in mid-June, with the stated aim of removing suspected PKK targets from the area. Five civilians have been killed during Turkey’s offensive. The village of Kashan, also in the Batifa subdistrict, has been abandoned and other villages in the area have been partially emptied.
Turkish forces have been bombarding Avla village since Thursday, dropping 26 bombs, according to Abdulsattar. Five houses were hit. There were no casualties, but the villagers opted to flee their homes.
Turkish forces have fired at locations near the villages in the past, but not inside the populated areas. “This is the first time that Turkey comes this close,” said Abdulsattar. Turkish forces are operating on the ground just six kilometres from populated areas and a major road, half of Mount Shaqol is under Turkish control and their drones are monitoring the area, he added.
Zerevan Musa, mayor of the nearby Darkar subdistrict, told Rudaw that he saw Turkish forces rappelling out of a helicopter on Mount Shaqol, which sits between the two subdistricts.
The Batifa subdistrict with 27 villages borders Turkey. Thirteen of the villages have been affected by recent bombardments. In Darkar, 25 of 63 villages have been subject to Turkish bombs, according to the mayors.
Iraqi border guards set up five bases in both subdistricts on July 1, giving the locals some relief. Peshmerga forces have also deployed some troops to the area.
Additional reporting from Zakho by Yusuf Musa
Updated at 11:35 pm