The villagers are thrilled for the arrival of the Iraqi border guards, mostly Kurds, in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to their village because it has paved the way for their lives to return to normal. The area has witnessed clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish army.
Following the establishment of the military outposts, the villagers held a party to celebrate the move.
"We are very happy. Actually, they should have done this for us many years ago. Yet, we are very happy and thank our government," Hameed Abdulla, a villager told Rudaw over the weekend while dancing with his friends.
"We will be pleased to see more troops come, so they can restore security to our area and we can visit our village," Mohammed Salih, another village said.
Turkey frequently bombards the northern mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region under the pretext of targeting PKK fighters.
Clashes between the two sides frequently force residents of Duhok Province's mountainous regions to evacuate out of fear for their lives.
Iraq’s border guards have in recent years increased their military bases in Duhok province in a bid to minimize the effect of PKK-Turkey clashes on civilians.
Civilians are often caught in the crossfire of the conflict between Turkey and the PKK. Many families have been forced to flee their homes in the Kurdistan Region's villages because of clashes, especially those in northern Duhok province near the border with Turkey, leaving entire villages empty.
