3,500 dunums of agricultural land were burned in the Brefka area of Kani Masi district in Amadiya district in Duhok governorate, and the mayor of that area indicated that the fire was caused by Turkish shelling.
Regarding the incident that occurred yesterday, Wednesday, Najm al-Din Tamr, a farmer from the Brefka area, told the Kurdish media network Rudaw today, Thursday, that an explosion occurred and resulted in the fire, suggesting that the source of the explosion was an artillery shell.
He stated that they contacted the fire brigades, but the fire got out of control until they arrived, according to him.
For his part, Mayor of the Brefka area, Bewar Haji Qadir, told the Rudaw media network: “The fire was caused by shelling by the Turkish army. We heard an explosion, and we do not know if it was a cannon or TNT.”
The incident burned grape, apple and fig crops, 30 beehives, in addition to 10,000 types of trees and about 4,000 dunams of land, which are the produce of 50 families in that area.
The Mukhtar
of Brefka, Hawar Brefka, confirmed in his interview with Rudaw that the cause of the fire was an explosion, adding, “The farmers’ crops burned this year, and a committee was formed in the Kani Masi area to assess the damage and we demand compensation for the victims.”
He pointed out that the sound of cannons, helicopters and planes continues in their area, which hinders their freedom of movement.
Brefka is located 20 kilometers from the Kani Masi district in Amadiya district, and is home to 450 families.
It is one of the areas located on the conflict line between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Turkish army, about 30 kilometers from the Turkish border.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency