-
KOYA, Kurdistan Region - Two months after their displacement due to a spate of Iranian missile and drone attacks, a number of Christians have returned to the village of Harmote, Koya district, east of Erbil, to celebrate Christmas.
Shiler Sulaqa is one of the few people who have returned home. While cooking the famous pacha dish, the elderly Christian woman said they anxiously celebrate Christmas fearing any possible resumption of bombings.
"We are worried that we may come under a missile strike while performing prayers. We fearfully go to the bathroom. We fearfully go outdoors. Is this life? No, it is not at all," Sulaqa said, adding that one of the missiles Iran fired in recent months almost gave her a heart attack.
"The day a missile landed, my heart sank and I thought I would collapse from a stroke," she said.
Despite calls on a domestic and international level to put an end to its attacks, Iran has attacked Koya multiple times since late September, targeting bases belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups inside the Kurdistan Region.
Iran’s attacks on the neighboring Kurdistan Region come as the regime is facing both international and internal pressure over its violent crackdown on the protests sparked by the controversial death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini on September 16, while in police custody.
Iranian authorities accuse Kurdish opposition parties of arming the protesters.
The Iranian bombings have displaced more than 500 families in areas that are close to the headquarters and bases of opposition groups including the predominantly Christian-inhabited village of Harmote.
There are currently two churches in Koya. The largest is Maryam Pakiza in the Harmote quarter. Koya city also has a small church.
According to statistics provided to Rudaw by local authorities, there are 125 Christian families in Harmote and 60 in Koya, totaling more than 700 people. Harmote makes up 9 percent of the city of Koya. The majority of the population left home and have not yet opted to return.
Shiler Sulaqa is one of the few people who have returned home. While cooking the famous pacha dish, the elderly Christian woman said they anxiously celebrate Christmas fearing any possible resumption of bombings.
"We are worried that we may come under a missile strike while performing prayers. We fearfully go to the bathroom. We fearfully go outdoors. Is this life? No, it is not at all," Sulaqa said, adding that one of the missiles Iran fired in recent months almost gave her a heart attack.
"The day a missile landed, my heart sank and I thought I would collapse from a stroke," she said.
Despite calls on a domestic and international level to put an end to its attacks, Iran has attacked Koya multiple times since late September, targeting bases belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups inside the Kurdistan Region.
Iran’s attacks on the neighboring Kurdistan Region come as the regime is facing both international and internal pressure over its violent crackdown on the protests sparked by the controversial death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini on September 16, while in police custody.
Iranian authorities accuse Kurdish opposition parties of arming the protesters.
The Iranian bombings have displaced more than 500 families in areas that are close to the headquarters and bases of opposition groups including the predominantly Christian-inhabited village of Harmote.
There are currently two churches in Koya. The largest is Maryam Pakiza in the Harmote quarter. Koya city also has a small church.
According to statistics provided to Rudaw by local authorities, there are 125 Christian families in Harmote and 60 in Koya, totaling more than 700 people. Harmote makes up 9 percent of the city of Koya. The majority of the population left home and have not yet opted to return.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment