According to sources speaking to ANF, a forest fire broke out about midday in the region around Büyükköy and Aslandoğmuş villages affiliated to Ovacık district of Dersim subsequent to a military operation.

Cömert Erenler, mukhtar of Büyükköy, who made a statement after the forest fire said: “I have just contacted military authorities. They informed of the military operation in the region. They said that the fire broke out in a confined zone and it was under control. For now, they do not allow access to the region as the operation continues. We are keeping attention. There appears no problem, for now.”

Every year, devastating fires blaze in northern Kurdistan, devouring thousands of hectares of forest and cultivated land. Especially since the Turkish government unilaterally broke off peace talks with the PKK in 2015, it is again systematically burning down the forests in the Kurdish regions. This is part of the counterinsurgency and expulsion policy that has been in place in Kurdistan since the founding of the state in 1923.