Safra, KRI. Xalla Braim (80), ‘mukhtar’ (or ‘leader’) of Safra village, shows the hole left by a shrapnel on the living room wall of his son's house. On May 26th 2020 at 11PM Safra’s hospital was hit by a Turkish drone attack that allegedly killed 5 PKK fighters.
No friends in the mountains (2021)
Civilians under fire in Iraqi Kurdistan, as Turkey fights PKK with drones - Text by Bart von Laffert
Mamost’s life was turned upside on June afternoon when he was driving down Qandil mountains, in Iraqi Kurdistan. A buzz and then, the explosion: his car was hit by a drone. In the explosion, he lost his father, his sister and his brother. Almost nothing remained of their bodies.
Ally is just one of thousands civilians caught in the crossfire between Turkey and the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey, the EU and the US classify as a terrorist organisation). Since the end of the ceasefire in 2015, the conflict has escalated in the Kurdish areas of Northern Iraq were the PKK established its bases decades ago.
The employment of drones (produced in Turkey, but thanks to the contribution of German and EU companies) is controversial. They are a necessary tool a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, according to Turkey. A weapon that is aimed primarily at the civilians, according to the local population.
Featured by: Amnesty Germany, Millenium FQ, Profil Taz, SWR2
Safra, KRI. A room full of debris in Safra hospital. On May 26th 2020 at 11PM the village small hospital was hit by a Turkish drone attack.
Kuna Masi, KRI. Peyman Talib (31) sitting in the living room with her family: her husband Kaiwan Kawa (31), her daughter Hamisha (8) and her son Hezhwan (7). She lost her leg in a drone attack that hit their shop on Thursday 25th June 2020 at 5.40 PM.
Bnari Qandil (Highlands Qandil), KRI. Xalla Mina Abdullah (57) is showing the remains of the bomb that hit his house in Shenie village on February 2nd 2021.
Zewka, KRI. Hamed Ameen (47) is checking one of the trees that was very close to where one bomb dropped. On September 26th 2019, Zewka and the surrounding area were attacked by Turkish drones 27 times. The village was temporarily evacuated.
Chwarqurna (Ranya municipality), KRI. Mamost Mohammed Abdallah Ally (33) is visiting the tombs of his father, sister, and brother who were killed in a drone attack that hit their truck on the zigzag road on Qandil mountains on June 27th 2019 at 5.25 PM.
Bnari Qandil (highlands), KRI. The road towards Zewka village from Sune village and a view over Qandil mountains known as a stronghold of PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Chwarqurna (Ranya municipality), KRI. Mamost Mohammed Abdallah Ally (33) shows from his phone a photo of his truck after a drone attack that hit on June 27th 2019 at 5.25 PM.
Chwarqurna (Ranya municipality), KRI. Mamost Mohammed Abdallah Ally (33) in his living room. Ally still has 200 shrapnels in his body. His leg and arm were permanently injured.
Zewka village, KRI. Mam Abdullah (95) is recalling when the drones attacked the village and the surrounding area on September 26th 2019. The village was temporarily evacuated, and out of the 96 of the people who used to live here, only 55 remained afterwards. “It is not a village to live in anymore, but I can not leave. It is my village, it is our life”, he says.
Zewka, KRI. Children standing in front of the school in Zewka village.
Zewka, KRI. Hamed Ameen (47) packed his family’s things in one of the rooms of the house where they used to live in Zewka village.