SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A fire ignited by clashes between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Kani Mase sub-district continued for the second day, a local official said on Wednesday.
Sarbast Sabri, head of Kani Mase sub-district, said the fire has broken out in the forests of the villages of Ribarki, Baqulke, Qumri, Tishesh and Dargala Saida since Tuesday.
“The fire intensified after fierce clashes erupted between the Turkish military and the PKK last night, and several types of weapons were used,” he told Esta Media Network.
More than 2,000 dunams (200 hectares) of lands have been burned due to the Turkish strikes and Turkey-PKK clashes in Kani Mase, according to authorities.
Turkey has taken its decades-old conflict with the PKK deep into the Kurdistan Region, establishing military bases and deploying armed military drones against the fighters in their mountain strongholds.
Most of the operations have focused on territory up to 30 km (20 miles) from the border.
