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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish airstrikes have caused a massive fire on the slopes of Mount Metina in Duhok province’s Amedi district, near the Turkish border. The fire has been ongoing over the past two days.
Tens of acres of land between the villages of Barchi, Goharze, Balava, Deraluk, and the town of Amedi, have caught fire.
“When I woke up in the morning, I heard a voice. I looked at the mountain because every day there are planes overhead and artillery shells in the mountains, but I saw no smoke in the sky, so my brother went downstairs and saw smoke rising,” Najib Nheli, a veteran Peshmerga fighter from Amedi, told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan.
"The bombing continues and when they bombard, fires will be everywhere, and authorities do not allow people to go because it is dangerous in all directions,” he added.
Amedi's civil defense teams were not able to reach the scene of the fire due to fears of possible repeated bombardments.
Locals and villagers attempted to take matters into their own hands to put out the giant blaze that dealt a huge blow to their farmlands, but they were unsuccessful due to the lack of equipment to extinguish the fire.
“We went to control the fire but it was very difficult to get it out of control again because it is a mountainous area full of trees and plants,” said Fayaq Balavai, a resident.
The fire burnt hundreds of trees in the area which are between 5-100 years old.
Turkish forces frequently carry out military assaults in the Kurdistan Region, targeting suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the mountains where the group has its headquarters.
The PKK is an armed group that for decades has fought for greater Kurdish political and cultural rights in Turkey. Ankara has designated it a terror organization.
Amedi district's outlying mountainous regions saw similar bombings in early June by Turkey.
Civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire. Dozens have been killed and hundreds of villages have been emptied.
Tens of acres of land between the villages of Barchi, Goharze, Balava, Deraluk, and the town of Amedi, have caught fire.
“When I woke up in the morning, I heard a voice. I looked at the mountain because every day there are planes overhead and artillery shells in the mountains, but I saw no smoke in the sky, so my brother went downstairs and saw smoke rising,” Najib Nheli, a veteran Peshmerga fighter from Amedi, told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan.
"The bombing continues and when they bombard, fires will be everywhere, and authorities do not allow people to go because it is dangerous in all directions,” he added.
Amedi's civil defense teams were not able to reach the scene of the fire due to fears of possible repeated bombardments.
Locals and villagers attempted to take matters into their own hands to put out the giant blaze that dealt a huge blow to their farmlands, but they were unsuccessful due to the lack of equipment to extinguish the fire.
“We went to control the fire but it was very difficult to get it out of control again because it is a mountainous area full of trees and plants,” said Fayaq Balavai, a resident.
The fire burnt hundreds of trees in the area which are between 5-100 years old.
Turkish forces frequently carry out military assaults in the Kurdistan Region, targeting suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the mountains where the group has its headquarters.
The PKK is an armed group that for decades has fought for greater Kurdish political and cultural rights in Turkey. Ankara has designated it a terror organization.
Amedi district's outlying mountainous regions saw similar bombings in early June by Turkey.
Civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire. Dozens have been killed and hundreds of villages have been emptied.
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