Duhok Christian village abandoned under intense Turkish military operation

10-05-2021
Karwan Faidhi Dri
Karwan Faidhi Dri @KarwanFaidhiDri
A+ A-

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Christian village in Duhok province has been abandoned after Turkey intensified its bombardment of alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the area. This is the second village to be emptied during Turkey’s ongoing military campaign.
  
Turkey launched two military operations in Duhok province’s Avashin, Basyan, and Metina areas on April 23, setting up new military bases there. Kesta village in Amedi town was completely evacuated on May 3 due to the intensity of the bombardments, with some families fleeing to neighboring Chalke village.
  
Now people are fleeing Chalke. 

“When the bombardment got close to us, I asked my wife to leave,” villager Daniel Yuhanna told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadan. After intense military action, the men of the village met and decided to evacuate, he explained.

Everyone left by Saturday, expect for one man. “I have not abandoned my house and will not until I die. I sleep in my house, disregarding the constant bombardment,” said Yousef Zayya.


The village is home to nearly 20 families. 

Yuhanna Khoshaba, mukhtar (chief) of Chalke, told Rudaw that he and other villagers have been unable to graze their sheep for more than two weeks due to the military campaign.

Last week, an unexploded bomb was found near the village. It is still in the village, untouched. 

Kesta and Chalke villages are located in the Kani Masi sub-district of Amedi town. According to data provided by Kani Masi mayor’s office, 14 villages in the sub-district have been abandoned due to Turkey-PKK clashes since the 1990s. 

The PKK is an armed Kurdish group, fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers it a terrorist organization and a threat to its national security. Turkish forces regularly pursue the PKK within the Kurdistan Region’s borders. Operation Claw-Thunderbolt in Metina and Operation Claw-Lightning in Avashin and Basyan areas are the latest campaigns. 

 

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

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Candidates debating drug use during Rudaw's Chwar Bazne (four zones). Photo: Rudaw

Kurdistan parliament candidates warn against surging drug use

Parliament candidates addressed a rising trend in the use of recreational drugs in the Kurdistan Region during a Rudaw program, tracing the increase to a lack of comprehensive strategy along with limited social and economic opportunities.