Community Peacemaker Teams

Report: Hundreds of civilians killed, injured in Kurdistan Region due to Turkish and Iranian military operations

2024-08-14 | 15:45

ERBIL — According to a report by the American human rights organization Community Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan (CPT), since 1991, 425 civilians in the Kurdistan Region have died, and 420 others have been injured due to military attacks by Turkey and Iran. The report highlights that the majority of these casualties, totaling 845 civilians either killed or wounded, have resulted from Turkish military actions.

“Many of the casualties were going about their daily routines near the border, while some were killed or injured inside their homes among family members,” states the CPT report. It emphasizes the significant civilian impact of the long-standing conflict in the region, which has escalated since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region’s autonomous governance.

The report specifically focuses on operations carried out against Kurdish opposition groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party by Turkey and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan by Iran. The document details that these military operations have been ongoing since the 1980s but intensifies its examination on the period following 1991 up to June 2024.

The CPT report on military operations in the Kurdistan Region indicates that Turkish military actions are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties in the region, with over 83% of such incidents attributed to these operations. Specifically, between 2018 and 2024, intensified Turkish military campaigns, including the series of “Claw” operations initiated in late 2017, have significantly impacted civilian life. By the summer of 2024, these operations had propelled Turkish forces 15 kilometers into the region, necessitating the evacuation of multiple villages.

The impact on local communities, particularly in the agriculturally rich Duhok governorate, has been profound. The report highlights that these military incursions have not only disrupted daily life but have also caused substantial damage to orchards and agricultural products. “The Turkish operations targeted the lives of civilians deliberately,” the report states, noting that 31% of the casualties were a result of ground operations, while artillery bombardments and airstrikes accounted for the rest. It further details that “Turkey has established 74 bases within the Kurdistan region, with 56 of them located in the Zakho and Amedi districts of Duhok province, and 18 bases in the Mergasur and Sidakan districts of Erbil province.”

The scope of Turkish military actions extends across all four governorates of the Kurdistan Region—Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and Halabja—as well as impacting the Sinjar area in Nineveh governorate, a stronghold of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), which is allegedly affiliated with the PKK. According to the CPT report, Duhok has experienced the heaviest impact, accounting for 44% of civilian casualties, followed by Erbil with 34%, Sulaimaniyah with 18%, and Sinjar with the remaining 6%.

The report also sheds light on the repercussions of Iranian military activities, stating, “81 civilians have been killed due to Iranian operations inside the Kurdistan region, and 62 others were injured.” It is noted that “93% of the casualties were due to ground Iranian operations.” Most victims were engaged in everyday activities, such as farming or were at home, when targeted. The majority of these casualties occurred in Sulaymaniyah governorate, particularly in the border areas of Pshdar district, which alone accounted for 71% of the casualties—102 deaths and 62 injuries. The remaining 24% of casualties from Iranian actions occurred in Erbil, with nine deaths and 22 injuries.

In addition to targeting Kurdish Iranian opposition groups within the Kurdistan Region, Iran has intensified its military actions by launching attacks purportedly against “Mossad bases” in the area. On March 13, 2022, Iran executed a significant strike, launching 12 ballistic missiles at Erbil, claiming to target a center of “Zionist conspiracy.” This claim was firmly denied by the Kurdistan Regional Government. A subsequent missile attack nearly two years later tragically struck the home of businessman Peshraw Dizayee in Erbil, resulting in the deaths of Dizayee, his daughter, a visiting businessman, and a Filipina worker, while also injuring his wife and sons.

The Iraqi government responded to these aggressive actions by establishing a fact-finding committee and lodging a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council against Iran, seeking to address the escalation through diplomatic channels.

The CPT urges the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to enforce “Law No. 20 of 2009 and Law No. 57 of 2015,” which mandate compensation for Iraqi individuals affected by military operations or terrorist attacks. The report reveals a concerning statistic: “93% of those injured in the Turkish and Iranian operations were not compensated, and 46% of the civilians killed were not registered as martyrs,” thus preventing their families from receiving the monthly compensation they are entitled to under the law.