CPTIK releases figures of civilian casualties by Turkish and Iranian military operations since 1991

The CPTIK (Community Peacemaker Teams Iraqi Kurdistan) released a report  documenting the civilian casualties of Turkish and Iranian military operations from 1991 to 2024.

Since the 1980s, said the introduction, “Turkey and Iran have conducted military operations in northern Iraq, purportedly targeting various armed non-state opposition Kurdish groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its affiliated armed groups, as well as the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDP-I). This report focuses on civilian impacts since Iraqi Kurdistan’s semi-autonomous territory was established in 1991.”

This report “collates, documents, and verifies the immediate harm to the civilian population – death and injury – caused by Turkish and Iranian military operations inside Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the broader impact on civilian life. Extensive military operations by the Turkish and Iranian military forces have resulted in forced displacement, environmental damage, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and socioeconomic hardship.”

The CPTIK said: “Casualties mainly occur during a broad range of civilian activities, including income generation (such as agriculture, animal husbandry, foraging, subsistence entrepreneurship, etc.), recreation (communal and family visits, celebrations, picnics, tourism), or simply being at home. As a result, since 1991, Turkish and Iranian military operations have caused 845 civilian casualties (425 killed and 420 injured), 15 non-belligerent casualties (10 killed and 5 injured), and 8 non-combatant casualties (8 killed) inside Iraqi Kurdistan.”