Hundreds of Kurdish families flee border region fearing Iran shelling
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A week of bombardments on the Kurdistan Region’s borders by Iran has forced some 200 Kurdish families in the Balakayati area of Erbil to abandon their homes, and they have torched of hundreds of acres of farmland.
"We flee due to artillery and planes. We are tired of going to Sidakan and coming back," said Karim Mahmood, a villager in Barbazin area of Bradost.
Another villager said that he is disappointed in any work he does due to the area's uncertainty.
"Since I am always thinking of the bombardments, I am not happy with any work I do. I am very disappointed," said another villager.
The areas that came under the intense bombings are the mountains in Bradost and Balakayati.
In the Barbazin area of Bradost alone, nearly a hundred acres of pastures, groves, and orchards have been reduced to ashes.
Iran has set up an artillery base at Maidan Valley off-and-on targeting Kurdish farm land near the border, under the pretext of the presence of armed Kurdish opposition parties holed up in the Kurdistan Region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) fired seven surface-to-surface missiles on Saturday, striking the Kurdistan Region refugee camps and headquarters of two Iranian-Kurdish parties, the PDKI and the KDP-I, while they were holding leadership meetings.
Seventeen people died, including several political leaders, and 46 were injured in the attack, according to figures from the health department. Since 1992, due to Iranian and Turkish border bombardments, an estimated 650 villages have been emptied in Erbil and Duhok.
Kirmanj Izzat, the mayor of Soran said due to the Iranian and Turkish attacks, "250 civilians have died since 1992."
He warned that "the airstrikes and artillery shelling are on the rise,” leading to what he estimates as millions of dollars in damage to the areas.
Fearing growing uncertainty, villagers from 109 villages are afraid of rebuilding. Over the past three days, 11 villages were emptied, according to data from the Soran Municipality.
"We flee due to artillery and planes. We are tired of going to Sidakan and coming back," said Karim Mahmood, a villager in Barbazin area of Bradost.
Another villager said that he is disappointed in any work he does due to the area's uncertainty.
"Since I am always thinking of the bombardments, I am not happy with any work I do. I am very disappointed," said another villager.
The areas that came under the intense bombings are the mountains in Bradost and Balakayati.
In the Barbazin area of Bradost alone, nearly a hundred acres of pastures, groves, and orchards have been reduced to ashes.
Iran has set up an artillery base at Maidan Valley off-and-on targeting Kurdish farm land near the border, under the pretext of the presence of armed Kurdish opposition parties holed up in the Kurdistan Region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) fired seven surface-to-surface missiles on Saturday, striking the Kurdistan Region refugee camps and headquarters of two Iranian-Kurdish parties, the PDKI and the KDP-I, while they were holding leadership meetings.
Seventeen people died, including several political leaders, and 46 were injured in the attack, according to figures from the health department. Since 1992, due to Iranian and Turkish border bombardments, an estimated 650 villages have been emptied in Erbil and Duhok.
Kirmanj Izzat, the mayor of Soran said due to the Iranian and Turkish attacks, "250 civilians have died since 1992."
He warned that "the airstrikes and artillery shelling are on the rise,” leading to what he estimates as millions of dollars in damage to the areas.
Fearing growing uncertainty, villagers from 109 villages are afraid of rebuilding. Over the past three days, 11 villages were emptied, according to data from the Soran Municipality.