Over 6000 villages burned and still counting...

[heval]

The Turkish military is responsible for the destruction of over 6000 villages in Northern Kurdistan. More recently however, Turkey has pledged to make democratic changes in a search for European status. Although the search for EU status remains a priority for Turkish officials, the Turkish military continues to carry out operations against Kurdish rebels... the results have been the planting of more land mines, more deaths, and the destruction of yet more villages... will it ever get better?


Explosives In A Kurdish Village Signal The Danger

HAKKARİ (DİHA) - Sep 27, 2005- Having been evacuated by the soldiers during the military operations going on in Hakkari province, Marünis Village was set fire. Many trees burned down. The bullets not exploded yet frighten the villagers so they demanded a committee from the National Assembly to investigate the case.

The village had been once evacuated by the soldiers in 1994 and the villagers migrated to other cities leaving their all properties. But this year after some regulations, they became hopeful to return their village. Yet the village was set fire during the military operation taking place last week.

'Only means of living'

One of the villagers Nusret Kurt claimed that their villages had been set fire deliberately. "There were almost 300 houses living in the village but it was evacuated arbitrarily. After the evacuations some of us went to other cities and some of us went to the villages around. Recently we were coming to our village in summers and using our lands. But during the last operations, the village has been burned totally with the bombings of helicopters and military planes. We are experiencing a great unjust treatment. We will apply to all ways so that our losses are compensated." said he.

'There are thousands of unexploded bullets'

Another villager Aziz Kurt demanded a committee from the National Assembly to investigate the case in its first place. "While we were hoping to return to our village permanently, the village was burned. There are thousands of bullets not exploded yet. Our primary demand from the National Assembly and Human Rights Association is an independent committee to conduct a research on the case. After such a research we want the bullets to be collected and our losses be compensated." said Mr. Kurt.

Bombings continue

On the other hand, the dwellers of the surrounding villages asserted that the Marünis Village is being bombed by the military helicopters and raked with the armored combat cars for the last two weeks. They said they are afraid as the fire might reach to their villages.



Turkish army lays mines in North-Kurdistan

According to local sources, soldiers and village guards are lying mines on Ispriz district of Yuksekova, a mountainous county in the Kurdish province Hakkari.

[More:]

While many organizations around the world are doing campaigns to remove the mines claiming many civilians' lives or leaving them disabled, the claims in Yuksekova became a matter of concern. According to the claims, the soldiers and village guards have been lying mines on Ispriz district of Yuksekova for two days on the grounds that the district is the crossing point of PKK fighters or HPG guerrillas.

As the villagers are using this area to put their animal out to pasture, they are concerned about the application in question. They said they would not be able to graze their animals anymore.

Source: DIHA/Kurdishinfo.com

[Delal]

This is awful! More people need to be talking and reacting to news like this!
Thanks for posting it.

[Anthea]

Turkey keeps destroying Kurdish villages

[Anthea]

REMEMBER

The burning of Kurdish villages

And forced relocation of the occupants, assuming there were any left alive

Turkey did not always bother to find out if buildings were empty before burning them down

The destruction of Kurdish farmlands so that crops could no longer grow there

That lead to the forced relocation of Kurdish farmers

In fact Turkey has instigated several mass relocations

Turkey provided large comfortable buses to transport Kurd in (April Fool - OK so it is a bit late)

People were forced to walk many miles and large numbers of them DIED on route

The scorched earth policy on destroying Kurdish countryside and woodlands

Leading to the utter destruction of all wildlife in many areas

Let us not forget the recent pending destruction of Hasankyf, that will destroy many hundreds of years of Kurdish history

Also, destroying flora and fauna, most of which is NOT to be found anywhere else on the entire planet