Protesting attacks

Activists in Garmiyan call for boycotting Turkish goods, plan to plant trees

2024-07-27 | 19:12

GARMIYAN, SULAYMANIYAH — A number of activists in the Garmiyan area, south of Sulaymaniyah governorate, have announced a boycott of Turkish goods in response to Turkey’s ongoing military attacks on the Kurdistan region.

Diler Karim, one of the activists, told 964media, “On Thursday we gathered with several activists and decided to boycott Turkish goods in response to these attacks. We urge all citizens to join us in this effort.”

Turkey is conducting a large-scale military operation in the Duhok governorate against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its Kurdish acronym PKK, prompting the evacuation of several villages. The PKK, an armed Kurdish organization, has been in conflict with the Turkish state over Kurdish rights since the early 1980s.

Karim added, “Besides boycotting Turkish goods, next week we will conduct a tree-planting campaign because Turkey is destroying Kurdistan’s forests and nature. We will also hold several seminars and other activities.”

Turkish bombardment has ignited massive fires, burning approximately 125 acres of farmland and orchards in Sargale, Duhok, on July 4. The Turkish continues offensive has caused significant damage to Duhok, an important agricultural hub in the Kurdistan Region. Additionally, media reports have shown Turkish troops logging local forests in various areas of Kurdistan and transporting trees to Turkey.

The activists call on residents to support the boycott by purchasing alternative goods, emphasizing, “If we can’t confront them with weapons, we can resist economically.”

The U.S.-based Community Peacemaker Teams– Iraqi Kurdistan has been monitoring the impact of the Turkish operation on civilians. In the past month, Turkey has carried out 381 attacks in the Kurdistan Region: 339 airstrikes, 35 artillery bombardments, and seven drone attacks. Most attacks, 289, occurred in Duhok, followed by Erbil and Sulaymaniyah governorates with 43 attacks each. An additional attack was reported in Nineveh’s Sinjar district.

The recent operations displaced 184 families and damaged 19 houses and several vehicles. Between January 1 and July 1, 2024, the Turkish army conducted 1,076 attacks in the Kurdistan Region.

Over the years, the Turkish army has advanced 30 to 35 kilometers into the region’s territory. According to Kamaran Osman, coordinator of the CPT Kurdistan team, Turkey now has 71 military bases and outposts in the region, up from 64 before the recent incursion.

The Turkish military’s new operation, which penetrates deep into the territory of the Iraq and the Kurdistan region, has seen a significant incursion. The CPT report revealed that in the Barwari Bala area, the Turkish army advanced 15 kilometers into the Kurdistan region. Previously, during the Operation Claw-Lightning, the army had advanced seven kilometers to the village of Hiror, where a military base was established. This time, the incursion extended an additional eight kilometers.