KRG compensates families affected by Turkey-PKK conflict in Duhok

DUHOK – The Kurdistan Regional Government has compensated 103 families with 138 million dinars (approximately $104,000) for damages caused by ongoing clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its Kurdish initials PKK, and the Turkish military in four villages near the Deralook sub-district in Duhok governorate’s Amedi district. The conflict has impacted over 350 villages in the district, leading to the evacuation of 201 villages.

Due to security concerns, a government committee assessed damages in only four villages—Sargali, Goharzi, Balava, and Barchi—resulting in compensation for a small portion of those affected.

Rebar Sadiq, the sub-district director, explained that compensation amounts ranged from 700,000 to 5 million dinars, depending on the severity of the damage to lands, agricultural fields, and vehicles.

“The committee will revisit the lands and farms to assess further damages,” Sadiq added.

One beneficiary, Heywar Sattar, reported that two of his houses were damaged, but only one received compensation, totaling one million dinars ($757). He also noted that 10 donums (2.5 acres) of his land were burned due to shelling, but the committee was unable to access the area due to ongoing instability.

Ahmad Jamil, Director of Agriculture in Duhok, confirmed that the agricultural committee couldn’t assess all the affected farms and orchards in the Amedi district because of the ongoing conflict in the area. While the full extent of the agricultural damage remains unclear, “thousands of donums of land have been burned and damaged,” he said.

Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to secure its southern border, with the latest phase occurring this summer. On July 13, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Kurdish forces were “completely trapped” in both Iraq and Syria, but the conflict continues, with Turkish forces advancing 15 kilometers into Iraqi Kurdistan as of August 8, according to the U.S.-based war monitor, Community Peacemaker Teams. Since the early 1980s, the PKK, an armed Kurdish organization, has been fighting the Turkish state for Kurdish rights.

The KRG views the PKK’s presence as destabilizing, while the Iraqi federal government has condemned Turkey’s incursions as violations of Iraqi sovereignty. However, recent developments suggest Iraq has reached some form of understanding with Turkey as it has banned the PKK.