Second Kurdish village deserted as Turkey-PKK clashes intensify

Shafaq News/ Residents of a Kurdish village in northern Duhok have fled their homes due to escalating clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a local official said on Monday.

"The village was home to 11 families, all of whom have now fled to Dohuk city," said the headman of Miska village, Adib Majid, in a statement to Shafaq News agency.

"The village has been shelled in recent days, destroying a church and burning hundreds of acres of farmland," Majid added.

Miska is the second village in the Kani Masi subdistrict to be deserted this week due to the intensifying conflict.

On Saturday, eyewitnesses told Shafaq News Agency that the residents of the nearby village Darkela Misa have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing clashes between the Turkish and PKK forces.

The clashes, which have been accompanied by artillery and airstrikes from the Turkish military, have caused widespread damage to the village and surrounding areas.

One eyewitness told the Shafaq News agency that "most of the displaced are shepherds and farmers," explaining that "the clashes took place near their village, forcing them to leave."

In a separate incident, a government source reported that fires have broken out in the farms and forests of Miska village, located in the Kani Masi sub-district of Dohuk. The source noted that "the fires are still burning and the civil defense teams and residents of the area have not been able to extinguish them due to the deteriorating security situation in the area."

The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK dates back to the early 1980s when the PKK, founded by Abdullah Öcalan, began advocating for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the conflict intensified, with the PKK engaging in guerrilla warfare and the Turkish military conducting large-scale operations against PKK bases, particularly in southeastern Turkiye and northern Iraq.

The early 2000s saw intermittent ceasefires and attempts at peace negotiations, including a notable peace process in 2013. However, this process collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed hostilities.