Osman Rijdî Rêkanî (32) was reportedly killed whilst beekeeping near the village of Şêladiz, in Duhok’s Amedi (Amêdî) district. He was an off-duty peshmerga, a member of the local security forces. Rêkanî’s body was transported back to the village on a horse. We offer our condolences to the family and people of Şêladiz.
The aggressive and oppressive actions of the Turkish armed forces against Kurdish civilians in Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) represent war crimes deserving of condemnation and are a blatant violation of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) and Iraq’s sovereignty. The recent bombing in Şêladiz, resulting in tragic loss of a life , is a stark illustration of the heinous atrocities being perpetrated. The deliberate targeting of villages, displacement of innocent families, and wanton destruction of homes, churches, factories, and critical infrastructure is utterly reprehensible.
The repercussions of the recent Turkish military operation, spanning from June 15 to July 15, are nothing short of catastrophic. Nine villages have been forcibly displaced, with at least 184 families torn from their homes. Many of them belong to ancient Assyrian-Christian communities. The scorching of some 68,000 dunams of land has inflicted irreversible ecological harm. Civilian casualties, injuries, and the disruption of vital services like electricity and telecommunications have only deepened the humanitarian crisis.
The silence surrounding the de facto annexation of Iraqi territory hints at tacit regional and international endorsement, raising fears of unchecked escalation. The distressing pattern of Turkish military operations in Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq), marked by civilian harm, displacement, and infrastructure destruction, demands urgent attention. The proliferation of military installations and disruption of communication networks further compounds the suffering of the affected communities.
The international community must unite in solidarity with the Kurdish people, demanding an immediate halt to hostilities, protection of civilians, and accountability for those perpetrating these egregious violations. The pursuit of expansionist agendas at the expense of Kurdish territories in Syria and Iraq, as envisioned by the Erdoğan-Bahçeli regime, threatens to escalate regional conflicts and trigger mass displacement.
It is incumbent upon the global community to thwart Erdoğan’s war crimes and desired annexation of northern Iraq, as history shows us in places like occupied northern Cyprus since 1974, that they would never intend to leave.
