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Wildfires in northern Iraq have forced thousands of families to flee their areas and severely damaged the environment in the region, which has seen several months of Turkish military operations against the PKK.
According to a report published by ReliefWeb, affiliated with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, based in New York, the operations resulted in the burning of nearly 300,000 dunums of farmland between May and September during military campaigns carried out. carried out by Turkey in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Satellite images released by the European Space Agency showed that nearly 50,000 acres of scorched earth are directly linked to the Turkish military campaign.
According to the organization “PAX” for monitoring peace and conflicts, half of these burned lands (23 thousand acres) are part of protected areas with rich biodiversity.
According to the report, high temperatures caused by climate change exacerbated the crisis, as Turkish military operations and bombings took place in summer.
The region is home to many unique species of wildlife and birds, some of them in danger of extinction, and there are also many protected areas designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The report notes that these fires raise serious concerns about the unique biodiversity and forested areas of this part of Iraq.
Since June 17, the Turkish army has launched a large-scale military operation that included air strikes and ground incursions in northern Iraq.
According to the report, around 150 sites were attacked, in coordination with Iranian forces, on suspicion of harboring PKK militants.
Images and videos on social media and local media showed huge wildfires that broke out in mountainous areas stretching from Dohuk Governorate in the northwest to Sulaymaniyah in the east.
