Fires sparked by Turkish bombs force shepherds out of the mountains
DUHOK, Kurdistan Region - Turkish artillery shells and drone strikes have forced sheep owner Ahmed Saadulla and many others like him to move their sheep away from the mountains of Amedi district in Duhok province, in search of pasture for their livestock.
As a result of Turkey’s bombing campaigns, tens of acres of land between the villages of Barchi, Goharze, and Balava have burned. An airstrike caused a massive fire on the slopes of Mount Metina in Amedi district, near the Turkish border earlier this week. The flames raged for two days before they were extinguished.
Saadulla is from Goharze village. He says that it has become difficult to raise his flock of 150 sheep due to the lack of greenspace far from the slopes of the mountains. He is thinking of selling them and looking for some other work to make a living for his family.
"The entire region has caught fire. What should I do with my sheep now? I am forced to sell them. I cannot afford to raise my sheep on fodder until next year, or next spring. If I do so, I have to spend all I have on buying fodder for them," Saadulla lamented.
The fresh Turkish bombings have left more than 1,000 sheep without pasture. Shepherds have no idea where to take their sheep to feed them.
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.
As a result of Turkey’s bombing campaigns, tens of acres of land between the villages of Barchi, Goharze, and Balava have burned. An airstrike caused a massive fire on the slopes of Mount Metina in Amedi district, near the Turkish border earlier this week. The flames raged for two days before they were extinguished.
Saadulla is from Goharze village. He says that it has become difficult to raise his flock of 150 sheep due to the lack of greenspace far from the slopes of the mountains. He is thinking of selling them and looking for some other work to make a living for his family.
"The entire region has caught fire. What should I do with my sheep now? I am forced to sell them. I cannot afford to raise my sheep on fodder until next year, or next spring. If I do so, I have to spend all I have on buying fodder for them," Saadulla lamented.
The fresh Turkish bombings have left more than 1,000 sheep without pasture. Shepherds have no idea where to take their sheep to feed them.
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.