The Turkish state, which has been carrying out invasion attacks and establishing hundreds of military points in South Kurdistan for years, has recently deployed more than 300 armoured vehicles and tanks to the region along with a large number of soldiers.

While images from the ground confirm the media reports that Turkish troops have set up checkpoints in northern Iraq, reports are coming through of further activity and violations by the occupying army in the region.

Citing local sources, Rojnews agency reported on Saturday that Turkish soldiers raided the village of Dergelê in Kanî Masî town of Duhok last night. The occupiers threatened the villagers and told them to evacuate the village within 24 hours.

The occupying Turkish army wants to occupy the entire territory of South Kurdistan with the co-operation of the KDP, the ruling party in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The invaders, who raided settlements last night, are forcibly evacuating the villages by putting pressure on the residents.

According to the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), the Turkish Armed Forces have started a new military offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan with up to 300 military tanks, operating on the ground in Barbary Balla for ten days and have entered multiple villages in the region.

CPT said on 27 June that: “In the last ten days, Turkish armed forces have entered the villages of Ura, Seraro, Aradina, Keste, Chalke and Babire through the military roads built in January this year. During the last three days, nearly 1000 Turkish soldiers were witnessed going back and forth between the Gre-Barukh military base (Gre-Barukh is the most extensive Turkish military base in Iraqi Kurdistan, which was built in 1997) and Metina mountain behind Bamarne subdistrict. Since the morning of 25 June, Turkish armed forces have set up a checkpoint between Babire and Kani Belave villages, and whoever travels on that road will have their IDs checked by Turkish soldiers.”

“Another goal of Turkey’s military operation is to reach Hawt Tabaq mountain through Shiladze and then control the Gara mountain range. If this happens, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will lose 70-75% of its power in the Duhok governorate. At the same time, this military maneuvering is a response to the Iraqi border guards’ recent base building to prevent Turkey from further entering Iraqi Kurdistan this year,” the organisation said.

CPT warned that: “If Turkey achieves their goal in this military operation, then dozens of villages and towns will face serious threats, and hundreds of villagers and civilians will be displaced. An essential portion of Kurdistan’s land would be in the hands of the Turkish Armed Forces, and it would be almost impossible to take it back under the KRG and Iraqi government’s power.”