Turkish forces Withdraw from two Duhok villages, residents displaced

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, a local official in northern Duhok Governorate reported that Turkish forces had withdrawn from two villages where they had been stationed for several weeks.

Adib Majid, the Mukhtar of Miska village in the Kani Masi district of Al-Amadiyah in northern Duhok, told Shafaq News Agency that “Turkish forces withdrew from his village and Dirleki village, and residents were displaced due to the conflict between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).”

"The withdrawing forces set up military positions on the hills overlooking the two villages, preventing residents from returning,” Majid added.

A security source confirmed that clashes occurred between the Turkish army and the PKK in Shilaza village, Kani Masi district, where residents had migrated two years prior.

“The clashes sparked fires in nearby farms and forests,” he affirmed.

In late June, the CPT observed the entry of 300 Turkish tanks and armored vehicles into the Kurdistan region. According to the CPT report, approximately 1,000 Turkish soldiers have been transported between the Turkish military bases, setting up a security checkpoint between the villages, allowing civilian passage only after identity verification.

Earlier, the new Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad, Anil Bora Inan, said that ongoing Turkish operations in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (KRI) are conducted with full respect for Iraq's territorial integrity, confirming that Turkiye's goal is to eliminate the PKK, which poses a threat to both Turkish and Iraqi national security.