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Makhmur camp in Iraqi Kurdistan braces for
new wave of Turkish Kurds
23.6.2007
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June
23, 2007
Hewler-Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- The
Makhmur camp, southwest of Erbil, is bracing for a
new wave of refugees as a result of growing tension
along the Iraq-Turkey border, camp officials have
said.
The two-square kilometre camp, which is run by the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is
home to Kurdish refugees from Turkey who fled their
villages following clashes between the Turkish
troops and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters.
"We have taken more measures to meet further and
possible large-scale refugee movement across the
border," Salar, an employee at the Makhmur refugee
camp, told GN.
"Turkish Kurds living in the mountainous areas close
to Kurdistan border may escape from military
operations carried out by Turkish troops in the
coming weeks and flee to Makhmur camp," he said.
"Few days ago, villages in Erbil mountains were
bombarded by Turkish air and artillery units which
forced Turkish Kurds to cross into Iraqi Kurdistan
and seek asylum in the camp," Salar said.
"If the tension prevails in the region, our camp
will receive hundreds of families and this is a
grave problem for Iraq as well as the international
community."
Integration
Over the years, Turkish Kurds in Makhmur camp have
integrated into the Iraqi Kurdistan society.
"I am a Kurd from Turkey and I married an Iraqi
Kurd. We have been living together in Erbil for
eight years now," Ceyhan Turbal, a Turkish Kurd told
Gulf News.
"There are strong social and humanitarian ties and I
think if the Iraqi Kurdistan region obtains its full
constitutional rights, it will become a safe haven
for many Turkish Kurds who face continuous human
rights violations by Turkish troops," she said.
According to sources in Erbil, the capital of
Kurdistan territory, the Iraqi Kurdistan government
facilitated humanitarian asylum for Turkish Kurds.
Hundreds more are waiting to obtain Iraqi
citizenship, particularly those who are married to
Iraqi Kurds.
gulfnews com
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