Displaced families return to Duhok border villages

Shafaq News- Zakho

Rural life is gradually returning to villages along the border north of Duhok province, Zakho, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and following the ceasefire between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Hashim Omar Taher, the mayor of Kashani, told Shafaq News that the village is the first and only community along the border strip in Batifa district to witness a sustained return of residents since the fighting subsided.

Between 50 and 60 families have returned so far and have begun rebuilding their homes and reclaiming agricultural land, he said. Kashani once had between 700 and 800 homes and was one of the region's most active villages before it was destroyed in 1986 during the Anfal campaign carried out by Iraq's former Baath regime.

Residents later returned after the village was rebuilt, but renewed clashes between the Turkish army and the PKK forced them to flee again. It remained completely abandoned for seven consecutive years, during which residents were unable to access their homes, farmland, or livelihoods, he added.

Nearby border villages, including Nazur, Akmal, and Sili, remain deserted because residents have yet to receive the necessary security approvals to return.

Ayoub Hussein, a resident of Kashani, told Shafaq News that villagers have begun planting summer crops, particularly tomatoes and cucumbers, while preparing land to cultivate walnut and fruit trees in the coming seasons.

Kashani was once renowned for producing tobacco, rice, wheat, and barley, in addition to its extensive orchards, expressing hope that it will regain its former agricultural status.

Another resident, Zirvan Abdullah, told Shafaq News that returning families are rebuilding homes and restoring farmland using their own resources without government support. Additionally, mountainous landscape and natural scenery also give it strong tourism potential if infrastructure and public services are developed.

Residents called on the Kurdistan Regional Government and relevant authorities to accelerate service projects, including paving the main road to the village, building a school, expanding electricity, telecommunications, and internet networks, and supporting the agricultural sector to help returning families settle permanently and encourage other displaced residents to come back.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Duhok—haven and hardship in Iraqi Kurdistan's frontier