Makhmur-In the 1990s, thousands of Kurdish people were forcibly displaced from their homeland in Northern Kurdistan to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq due to the attacks of the Turkish state. After the Makhmur refugee camp was founded in 1998, they settled there. The camp is a United Nations recognized refugee camp. However, the residents of the camp face the attacks of the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

While the Turkish state has carried out attacks on the camp since 2017, the KDP has imposed an embargo on the camp since July 19, 2019.

Ebûzer Dêrhînî was killed in front of his home

Until now, many people have been killed in the Turkish attacks. The last victim of the Turkish drone was Ebûzer Dêrhînî. On August 24, 2022, he was killed in front of his house by a Turkish drone. Since Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Mohammad visited Hakan Fidan, director of the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey (MIT) on March 3, the mobility of drones over the camp has intensified. No one knows whether these drones belong to the Turkish state or to another country.

‘Their aim is to scare the people in the camp’

The flying of drones over the camp disturb the camp residents. Öznur Kaya, a resident of the camp, told us that drones fly over Shengal and Makhmur for 24 hours.

 ‘If the Iraqi government and KDP had closed the air space to the Turkish state, we would not face these attacks. Drones always fly over the camp. No matter what they do, their attacks on Zap, Avaşin and Metina will fail. Their aim is to scare the people in the camp. They think we will leave the camp if they continue to attack us. We will never leave this camp even if they kill us. We have built a new life here.”

‘The camp is surrounded’

Noting that women and children are the most affected by the attack, Öznur Kaya said, “The Turkish state is already our enemy but the KDP continues to betray us. The camp is surrounded. The road to Erbil is blocked. We live in the territory of Iraq and the Iraqi government aims to control us by surrounding us. We have been living in this camp for 25-26 years. As women living in the camp, we do not accept the policies of the Iraqi government against us.”

 ‘We cannot enter our homes due to Turkish drones’

Helîm İşlek recalled that they had left their country due to the attacks of the Turkish state. “Their aim is to force the people to leave the camp. They aim to depopulate Rojava, too. Hundreds of people were martyred here. We cannot go out due to Turkish drones. We cannot even enter our homes. We fled from Northern Kurdistan due to the Turkish state. We were forced to leave our country because our houses were burned down and people were killed. After we came to Southern Kurdistan from Turkey, the Turkish state and KDP attacked once again. We lived without food for about 90 days. When we came to this camp, there were scorpions, snakes and dust everywhere. Despite everything, we built a new life for ourselves.”

‘We will resist to the end’

 Underlining that they will resist to the end, Helîm İşlek said, “Whenever the Turkish state launches an air strike on our camp, the regional government comes to the camp and says 'We came to visit you'. But they still remain silent against the attacks. We do not trust the regional government and the Iraqi government. When ISIS attacked us, they left us alone. Despite their plans and projects, we will stay in the camp.”