Thousands of local people have fled their homes due to the Turkish attacks on southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). One of the affected villages is Dergelê. The village was devastated by South Kurdistan’s ruling party, KDP, and the Turkish army, and the inhabitants were displaced.

As the Turkish army continues targeting the civilian population in southern Kurdistan, video footage from the village of Dergelê in Metîna shows how the houses, property and fields of the villagers were attacked, devastated and looted.

The Turkish army has been attacking the Metîna region since 23 April 2021, mainly targeting the north of Metîna. On 16 June, the attacks were extended to the south and the areas of Golka, Şêlazê, Dergelê and Bazê were particularly targeted by the Turkish invasion campaign. From day one, villages in these regions were attacked, and the local people were expelled from the region.

Local sources reported numerous attacks on the homes of residents of the village of Dergelê.

After the people had resisted being driven out by the Turkish army and the collaborators of the KDP and had repeatedly returned, the village was devastated by the Turkish army. Warplanes bombed the houses and soldiers looted the property of the inhabitants. The destruction caused can be clearly seen on the videos.

The residents of the village explained that the Turkish state had asked them to leave the village through the KDP. But when they returned to their village, they found massive destruction. Therefore, the people blame the KDP for these attacks and the looting of their homes. The people’s anger at the KDP is particularly great because in the past, many of them had joined the peshmerga forces.