Turkey cuts down and loots trees in South Kurdistan

The Turkish army, which has been carrying out an invasion operation in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) since April and deliberately burning forest lands in the region, has intensified its looting activities.

According to local sources, the Turkish state on October 20 tasked the so-called ‘village guards’ (local paramilitaries paid by the Turkish state to take part in its war against Kurds) from the Sêgorkê region in Şırnak province to carry out the looting of trees.

Şehmus Babat and some chief village guards started swiftly cutting down trees in Zendura’s Nizurê and Metina’s Derarê areas.

It is reported that the village guards set the region on fire after cutting down trees with dozens of construction machines.

The trees are transported from the region by trucks. The images from the ground reveal that thousands of trees have been cut down. The images only amount to a small part of the Turkish looting.

The Turkish state has long been committing war crimes in the regions it has set foot in. Bombing of civilian settlements, massacre of civilians, evacuation of villages, detentions, executions and torture have become the daily routine in Turkish practices in the region.

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