ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A large fire erupted in the countryside of an uninhabited area in Sulaimani’s Penjwen town on Wednesday morning, burning a vast area of forested land.
Hemin Ibrahim, a local official, told Rudaw that the fire had been caused by an unidentified drone which strike the area at around 7:00 am.
The fire tore through the surrounding forested areas of Badana village, according to Ibrahim, who added that “people of Badana and surrounding villages have controlled the fire.”
Sulaimani Forestry Police said in a statement that the cause of the blaze was unknown, adding that around 200 dunams of land were burned and hundreds of trees were damaged as a result of the fire.
The area has been previously targeted by Turkey under the pretext of striking alleged positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Rojnews, a media outlet affiliated to the PKK, blamed Turkish drones for the blaze.
Clashes between Turkish forces and PKK fighters have caused numerous wildfires over the years. Each side blames the other for the blazes.
Turkey deployed hundreds of troops and military vehicles into the Kurdistan Region in June, establishing checkpoints and conducting patrols in Duhok’s Barwari Bala area. The latest military campaign has sparked renewed fears among villagers.
The US-based Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a rights group that closely monitors the Turkey-PKK conflict, said nine villages in Duhok have been “completely” emptied and 184 families have been displaced since tensions escalated in mid-June.
Approximately 68,000 dunams of land have been burned as a result of the recent clashes, according to CPT.
