ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A large fire covering nearly three kilometers erupted in the mountains around Duhok’s Zakho on Saturday evening. A village chieftain warned that the blaze could spread to several nearby villages.
The fire is burning in the mountains around Busale village, which borders Turkey. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Border guards and Turkish checkpoints are reportedly stationed in the area, access of which is restricted to civilians.
Riaz Jasim, Busale’s village chieftain (mukhtar), said that three Turkish military checkpoints are stationed nearby and their forces use armed drones in the area.
“This is a big fire and I hope someone comes and finds a solution for it… The area is not safe and our people are afraid of going to put out the fire,” Jasim told Rudaw’s Majid Gharib.
Rudaw has learnt that several environmental protection units have been dispatched to battle the fire.
Turkey recently established checkpoints in several villages in Duhok province, creating problems for locals who said the soldiers asked for their identification cards.
Clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters have caused numerous wildfires. Each side blames the other for the blazes.
A recent escalation in the conflict is part of Turkey’s plans to eradicate the PKK along its southern border with the Kurdistan Region. Erdogan said in March that Ankara is close to completing a zone that will “permanently resolve” security issues along the border by the summer.
The Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have yet to comment on the escalations in Duhok province.
