Two arrested in connection with Penjwen fire

PENJWEN – Authorities have arrested two individuals following a fire in Rawgan village, in the Penjwen district of Sulaymaniyah, initially thought to be caused by a landmine.

At 10:45 a.m. yesterday, a significant fire consumed 62 acres of forest and scrubland in Rawgan village. Early reports by the Sulaymaniyah Forestry and Environment Directorate incorrectly attributed the blaze to a landmine explosion; however, further investigation led to the arrest of two civilians on Monday.

Adil Jalal, head of the Penjwen Forest and Environment Police, clarified in an interview with 964media that the Rawgan village fire was confused with another in the Ahmaw Glwan area, which was caused by a landmine. Surveillance footage from a nearby facility showed that the arrested individuals intentionally started the fire by throwing flammable material into the area. “It was intentional,” Jalal stated.

“These individuals are now in custody and will face legal proceedings. The court will determine their fate,” Jalal added.

In 2023, fires have destroyed more than 8,000 acres of land and forests in Penjwen. Jalal noted that some of these fires are set intentionally by locals to clear land for agriculture or by individuals near Iranian border bases who fail to extinguish fires after clearing debris. Other causes of fires in the region include lightning, mine explosions, and Turkish bombardment.

On June 15, a Turkish airstrike triggered a wildfire in a Penjwen mountain, burning over 25 acres of forest and grazing land. The airstrike is part of Turkey’s ongoing operations in the Kurdistan Region, targeting what it claims are bases of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its Kurdish initialism PKK.