US organization: Turkish and Iranian military operations in Kurdistan Region left hundreds of victim

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[size=52]US organization: Turkish and Iranian military operations in Kurdistan Region left hundreds of victims[/size]

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2024-08-14
The American organization "CPT" in the Kurdistan Region revealed, on Wednesday, the extent of human losses and material damage to citizens in the region from 1991 until June 2024 as a result of Turkish and Iranian attacks.[/size]
[size=45]“Since the 1980s, Turkey and Iran have carried out comprehensive military operations in the Kurdistan Region under various pretexts, including targeting Kurdish opposition groups such as the Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its affiliated armed groups, as well as the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-1),” said Julian Bell, a member of the organization’s Kurdistan team, during a press conference held in Sulaymaniyah.[/size]
[size=45]He explained that "this report focuses on the civil effects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 1991 until this year."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “the report works to collect, document and verify the direct harm to the civilian population from deaths and injuries resulting from Turkish-Iranian military operations, as well as the widespread impact on civilian life.”[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the head of the human rights department at the American organization, Omar Othman, revealed during the conference that “the Turkish and Iranian military operations from 1991 until this year have caused 425 deaths and 420 injuries.”[/size]
[size=45]“The Turkish Armed Forces bear responsibility for the overwhelming majority of this damage, at around 83% of civilian casualties in Kurdistan, with 344 civilians killed and 358 others injured as a result of Turkish military operations, 39% of these casualties between 2018 and 2024, due to the widespread increase in military operations inside the region that began in December 2017,” he explained.[/size]
[size=45]He added that “the series of operations (Claw) aims to create a buffer zone that includes most of the border area between Iraq and Turkey, which is 360 kilometers long. So far, Turkey has built 74 military bases inside the Kurdistan Region, and the Turkish military presence and military operations have caused…[/size]
[size=45]Thousands of people have been displaced from at least 170 villages, with another 602 villages at risk of displacement.”[/size]
[size=45]Osman stressed that “these operations have severely disrupted the local economy, livelihoods and lifestyles, as most of the operations targeted civilians, their homes and farms, 28% of which targeted children, with a total of 194 victims, including 79 dead and 115 wounded.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are responsible for 17% of the human losses in Kurdistan, as the total number of victims of Iranian bombing since the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war until 2024 amounted to 143 victims, 81 dead and 62 wounded, including 63 civilians killed and 48 others wounded during the war years, and the rest were victims between dead and wounded since the end of the war until this year.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained that “Iran has built at least 151 military bases along the Iranian-Iraqi border, causing civilian casualties and displacement due to shelling, landmines and medium-range weapons fire. This confirms the ongoing targeting of civilian life, and the highest percentage of civilian casualties occurred when victims were in their homes or farms.”[/size]
[size=45]“Law No. 20 of 2009 and Law No. 57 of 2015, which were passed by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, stipulate that the government must provide financial compensation to all Iraqi citizens affected by military operations and terrorist acts. In addition, according to the order issued by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in 2011, all Iraqi citizens residing in Kurdistan who were killed by Turkish and Iranian military personnel must be considered national martyrs, and this is what we are calling for,” Othman pointed out.[/size]
[size=45]“Due to the lack of data since 1991 and the absence of government institutions dealing with these issues, the government has not provided any support or compensation to the vast majority of affected civilians. The government has not recognized 46% of Iraqi citizens killed as martyrs, leaving their families without any form of compensation. 93% of injured Iraqi citizens have not been compensated, leaving many with disabilities that prevent them from working and earning an income. Of the 420 injured civilians, 155 require further medical assistance,” he continued.[/size]
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