ANKARA - CPT Iraq Representative Kamaran Osman stated that the bombardment took place from Turkey's Xamtir military base, adding that Turkish soldiers pressured the people to evacuate Perex village.

 

9 Arab tourists, including a baby, lost their lives and at least 23 people were injured in the artillery shells fired by Turkish forces on the Perex village of Zakho in the Federated Kurdistan Region yesterday. Although the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the attack was not carried out from Turkey, Iraqi officials announced that the attack was carried out from Turkey.

 

After the attack yesterday, the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT) made a statement to end the attacks. CPT Iraq Representative Kamaran Osman, made assessments to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA). Osman stated that the Turkish army bombed the tourist area from Turkish miliyary base Xamtir four times with artillery fire.

 

THE ATTACK WAS MADE FROM XAMTIR MILITARY BASE

 

Stating that the bombardment took place in the touristic village of Perex and that 30 families lived in this village, Osman said: "In June 2020, during the Claw Eagle and Claw Tiger operations, Turkey established two military bases in Xatîrê. Xamtir military base and Gre Kukhe military base. The bombardment was carried out from the Xamtir military base. The village was hit 4 times with artillery shells. 9 Arab tourists lost their lives as a result of the attack. The ages of the dead range from 1 to 71. 23 people were injured."

 

‘TURKISH SOLDIERS WAS PRESSURING THE PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE’

 

Underlining that there is a lot of concrete evidence that Turkey carried out the attack, Osman said: “First of all, the place where the artillery was fired provides enough concrete evidence. But there is a history there. This wasn't the first time the village was attacked. Last month, Turkish soldiers came from the same military base to the village of Perex and told the villagers to leave the village. Of the 11 villages in the region, only Perex people did not abandon their villages. Other villages were evacuated. As I said before, the soldiers came to the village in June as well. But the villagers of Perex resisted and refused to leave their village. Thereupon, they carried out a bombardment from the same military base on June 15. Two people were injured in this attack. One of them was Nazir Ömer and the other was Muhammed Vezir Ömer. But the villagers still refused to leave the village. A massacre has taken place. We can call this a massacre. There are more than 30 victims of this attack."

 

'VILLAGERS CONFIRMED THAT THE BOMBS CAME FROM THE MILITARY BASE'

 

Stating that CPT has volunteers living and working in the village, Osman said: “We went to the village after the bombardment. We spoke to the witnesses and thevictims of the bombing. We learned from them that Turkey hit the village 4 times from Turkey's Xamtir Military base.”

 

'WE WANT THE FACTS TO BE SEEN'

 

Reiterating his call for an end to the attacks, Osman said: "Yesterday, we, as the CPT, issued a written statement. We have sent this text to the Kurdistan Regional Government and various consulates in Europe. We will continue to do so. We want the facts to be seen."