Villagers in Amedi’s Guharze raise Kurdistan flag in protest against Turkish military operations

AMEDI — Youth from the village of Guharze in Duhok’s Amedi district have raised a six-meter Kurdistan flag, declaring it a symbol of resistance against what they describe as “Turkish occupation.”

Salim Abdullah, one of the organizers of the initiative, told 964media, “We raised the Kurdistan flag as a response to Turkey’s occupation.” He added, “Our goal is to show that the people of our village are resilient in the face of the daily shelling and attacks carried out by Turkish aircraft on our village center.”

Abdullah reported that the village center has been targeted by Turkish airstrikes six times this year, causing significant damage to civilian homes and vehicles. Additionally, hundreds of acres of farmland, orchards, and trees around the village have been burned.

In response to the damages suffered by residents, the Kurdistan Regional Government recently compensated 103 families from four villages in the Amedi district, including some from Guharzê. Despite the ongoing shelling and attacks, Abdullah emphasized that the villagers are determined not to abandon their homes.

The Turkish military’s recent operations in the region, aimed at targeting fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), have led to the evacuation of several villages and widespread destruction. The PKK, an armed Kurdish organization, has been in conflict with the Turkish state since the early 1980s. Since the latest Turkish incursion into Duhok governorate, 10 villages have been deserted. According to statistics from the Amedi district administration, 201 of the district’s 358 villages are now deserted.

A report by the American human rights organization Community Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan, published on August 14, states that 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—845 civilians either killed or wounded—resulted from Turkish military actions. The report indicates that over 83% of civilian casualties in the region are attributed to Turkish military operations. Between 2018 and 2024, intensified Turkish military campaigns significantly impacted civilian life, pushing Turkish forces 15 kilometers into the region and forcing the evacuation of multiple villages by the summer of 2024.

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