Turkish-PKK clashes force evacuations in Duhok

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, authorities warned residents of three villages in northeastern Duhok against returning to their homes due to ongoing clashes and shelling between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Ahmed Zebari, a resident of Napakhi, told Shafaq News, “We received an official notification from the authorities and local figures from the Zebari area, instructing us to completely evacuate our village within three days and relocate to safer, inhabited areas.”
The warning extends beyond Napakhi to the villages of Birkikore and Kafia. “Residents will suffer significant economic losses, but they have no choice but to leave to protect their lives,” Zebari said.
Notably, since the start of summer 2024, the Turkish military has intensified operations in the region, targeting PKK positions and fortifications in the Matin Mountain range with warplanes and drones.
In response, PKK fighters have stayed entrenched in caves and mountain shelters, hindering the success of Turkish operations.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in an armed struggle against the Turkish state since the 1980s, seeking greater autonomy for the Kurdish population in Turkiye.
This decades-long conflict has led to tens of thousands of deaths, with Turkiye conducting cross-border military operations to target PKK strongholds in Iraq and YPG positions in Syria, both of which Ankara views as extensions of the PKK.