Renewed Iranian shelling forces many Kurdish villagers from their homes, starting wildfire

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Iranian artillery heavily shelled the Kurdistan Region border areas on Thursday, forcing many villagers to evacuate and starting fires in swathes of territory.

The target of the shelling was Berkma, Barbizn and Baraw villages in the Bradost and Soran district.

Bakhtyar Qadir, a Rudaw reporter sustained injuries during his coverage of the shelling.

Qadir reported that many villagers and their herds fled the area and headed to the safety of the town of Sidakan.

Firefighters are unable to reach the area to control the fire because of the rough terrain and the ongoing shelling, officials said.

Iranian artillery has shelled the border areas in recent months where the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) has its bases.