Curfew
Turkish airstrikes target Barchi village in Amedi district
AMEDI — Turkish aircraft heavily bombarded the areas surrounding Barchi village in Duhok’s Amedi district last night, leading the local village council to impose a curfew.
A video acquired by 964media depicts the village council’s director urging villagers via mosque loudspeakers to pray at home and avoid going out for Tarawih prayers. Tarawih prayers, performed after the Isha prayer during Ramadan, usually take place in mosques.
Approximately 10 minutes before iftar, the meal marking the end of the daily Ramadan fast at sunset, two artillery shells hit near the village. The explosion sent debris and shrapnel flying into several homes, according to Abdulrezak Neheli, a Barchi resident.
The bombardment persisted for hours. “The first strike was just 100 meters from our homes. The village outskirts have been continuously bombarded, and the intended target is unclear. Everyone has stayed indoors,” Neheli said.
Located in the Neheli area, Barchi is near Belave and Guharze to the east and Sigeri and Sargali to the northwest, within Amedi District. The village, which houses over 150 families, now faces a tense and precarious situation due to ongoing Turkish attacks.
On March 7, Sargali, a village near Barchi, also experienced a Turkish warplane attack. A video shared with 964media showed a loud explosion around noon that rattled doors and windows of nearby homes. This was reported as the third attack targeting the area near Sargali in the past two days. The village comprises over 40 households.
Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes in areas of the Kurdistan Region, citing the alleged presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its Kurdish acronym PKK. The PKK has been waging a war with Turkey for decades.
Community Peacemaker Teams monitors Turkish military activity in the region with the group reporting that military operations and airstrikes resulted in the deaths of 11 civilians and injuries to 13 others in 2023.
Many villages in Amedi district have been abandoned due to concerns over Turkish bombings, PKK presence or overall instability stemming from the conflict.
Turkish airstrike disrupts travel, power on eve of Newroz celebrations in Qandil
Turkish, Iranian bombardments increase over last quarter
