SARARO, Kurdistan Region - After years of conflict, peace is returning to remote villages in Duhok province that were once on the frontline of the war between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Villagers are able to harvest their crops without fear.
"Thanks be to God, it is all very good now," said villager Laale Yousif.
In the past, they "couldn’t stay outside because of artillery fire and planes,” she added.
The villages of Sararo, Adine, Deshesh, Kesta, and Chalke, all neighbors in the Barwari Balla area, were emptied after Turkey launched its ground and air operations, dubbed Operation Claw-Lightning and Operation Claw-Thunderbolt, against the PKK in April 2021.
The PKK declared a ceasefire and announced its dissolution this spring and the Turkish parliament is now formulating a legal path to peace. The cessation of hostilities means villagers have been able to return home.
"When we abandoned our lands, you came and witnessed how our situation was," said Abdulrahman Hussein, chieftain of Sararo village. "We have returned since the spring and thanks be to God, we are with our families. It is calm and stable."
