KURDISH officials called for the international community to help prevent “a human catastrophe” in Iraqi Kurdistan today, warning that Turkey’s invasion is causing “a massive ecological disaster.”

The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organisation of Kurdish groups including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), warned of “great harm to the forests and wildlife” in the Zap, Avasin and Metina regions as a result of Ankara’s military offensive, which started on April 23.

“Turkey’s aim is to occupy the Kurdish territory and weaken Kurdish resistance forces like the PKK. 

“The general goals of this occupation campaign are assimilation, demographic change, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and the destruction of Kurdistan’s environment,” KCK foreign relations spokesman Azad said.

Turkey has been accused of illegally deforesting the Kurdistan region — an act compared to Israel’s theft of olive trees from Palestinian land.

Air strikes have badly damaged at least 610 acres of land and green space in Duhok province so far this year, government officials have reported.

More than 152,000 acres of forest have been burnt in Iraqi Kurdistan over the past 10 years, with at least 35 per cent of the destruction due to aerial bombing by the Turkish and Iranian militaries, according to authorities.

In a joint statement, the agricultural ministries of both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government called for the United Nations to step in and for Turkey to stop felling trees. 

“According to information […] some companies from Turkey started to cut down forests in the border region of Behdinan, North Kurdistan, through Turkish soldiers, village guards and mercenaries. 

“The wood obtained from the forests is delivered to Turkey. This act constitutes a destruction of the nature of South Kurdistan and Iraq.

“It is a hostile attitude towards all peoples living in the region. We ask the Turkish government to stop this immediately. We urge international institutions and organisations, especially the UN, to step in as soon as possible,” the ministries said.

Former Komlay Islam MP Soran Omer said that Turkey’s destruction of forest land was aimed at forcing people to migrate and part of plans for demographic change.

“Turkey is bombing the people of the region in their villages, vineyards, gardens, fields and forests. They shoot civilians. They are destroying our nature. 

“This is an attack of genocide and destruction. The Turkish state says that it only targets the PKK. This is just a pretext. The aim is to destroy the Kurds and Kurdistan as a whole,” he said.

KCK appealed to environmentalists and those who fight against climate change to raise their voices against Turkey’s actions.

“Today, we are faced with a global ecological crisis. The reason for the burning of the Amazon forest in Brazil, fracking in the US or the deforestation in Kurdistan is the same: the never-ending capitalist desire for profit.

"Our environment is one. When forests are being destroyed and rivers are being polluted, all of us all over the world feel the destructive effects.

"Therefore, we need to stop the destruction of Kurdistan’s wildlife, forests and rivers together. We need to stop the fascist Turkish regime from occupying south Kurdistan. 

“Because if they succeed at annexing this area so rich in natural resources, Erdogan and his regime will subject south Kurdistan to a relentless exploitation. They will leave no tree, no river and no village untouched,” it said.