Turkish shelling hits Amedi villages during Friday prayers

AMEDI — Turkish artillery carried out more than 100 strikes on villages in the Amedi district of Duhok governorate on Friday, destroying farmland and igniting fires as residents gathered for weekly prayers, according to a local monitor.

Kamaran Osman, a coordinator with the U.S.-based Community Peacemaker Teams–Iraqi Kurdistan, said the bombardment targeted villages in the Gara and Nihele areas in what he described as an effort to prevent farmers from returning to their lands. “The shelling resulted in the burning of tens of donums of forest, orchards, and village farmland,” he told 964media.

The villages of Mzhe, Kafna Mzhe, Spindare, and Gargashe near the Gara Mountains were hit, along with Guharze and Belave in the Nihele area. Osman said artillery strikes reached those two villages while residents were gathered for Friday prayers at local mosques. “While worshippers in Guharze and Belave were attending Friday prayers, Turkish artillery shelled the two villages and burned orchards and farms,” he said.

He added that a Turkish drone was also seen flying over Amedi’s villages, causing panic among residents already fearful of renewed escalation.

Amedi and other areas of Duhok governorate have been heavily impacted by the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Turkish military operations have pushed as far as 15 kilometers into Iraqi territory in recent years, frequently resulting in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.

A 2024 report by Community Peacemaker Teams found that Turkish and Iranian military actions have killed 425 civilians and wounded 420 more in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since 1991, with Turkey responsible for more than 83% of the recorded incidents.

Although imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the group’s disbandment in a message released on Feb. 27, Turkish military activity has continued. The PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire on March 1, and during its 12th Congress in May, announced formal plans to dissolve the organization. Despite this, Turkish strikes persist across the Kurdistan Region.