At a Glance

• Tree cutting and timber transport have reportedly increased across parts of Duhok’s Badinan region.
• Local sources say more than 250 trucks carried felled trees from Berwari Bala over the past 10 days.
• Residents say some trucks moved under Turkish military supervision toward the border.
• The reported activity has renewed concerns over forests, access restrictions, and environmental damage.

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Reports from residents and local sources indicate intensified tree cutting across parts of the Badinan region as winter approaches.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Residents’ Concern: "What you see here are felled trees. These trucks belong to the Turks. They are transporting trees cut down in Kurdistan." — Local residents.
• Residents’ Complaint: "At the security checkpoint, our vehicles were stopped to facilitate the passage of the trucks loaded with trees." — Local residents
• Focus Area: The reported activity has centered on forested areas in Berwari Bala, with concerns over timber removal, restricted civilian access, and environmental damage.

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More than 250 trucks reportedly transported felled trees from the Berwari Bala area of Amedi district over a 10-day period, according to information attributed to local sources.

The reported activity covers several villages in the area, including Miska, Qumri, Hirure, Keste, Tirwanish, and Nizdure. Local sources said the pace of cutting has increased as winter approaches.

Footage circulating from the area shows trucks loaded with timber leaving rural locations. Some vehicles are accompanied by armored vehicles, while residents say Turkish soldiers are present in areas where the cutting is taking place.

The reported logging is concentrated near the Gire Biye military base. Local sources say timber is taken toward the Serzer border crossing before being transported into Turkey.

Access to some of the affected areas is reportedly restricted for civilians. Residents say the restrictions have made it difficult to monitor activities in forested areas and have added to concerns about the scale of the tree cutting.

The reports come amid a longer-running pattern of logging allegations in parts of Duhok province near Turkish military positions. A separate report published this week cited residents who said between five and 15 loaded timber trucks were passing daily from several mountain areas, including Matin, Derkla Misabk, Khanki, and Barukhi.

The same residents linked some of the activity to road construction leading toward Turkish military positions, although the reported connection between road works and logging has not been independently established.

Residents in Badinan have continued to share footage of the activity on social media, calling for greater attention to the condition of the region's forests. No official response from the Kurdistan Regional Government or Iraqi federal authorities was included in the reports reviewed for this story.

FYI

Badinan includes large mountainous and forested areas of Duhok province, particularly around Zaxo and Amedi. Parts of the region have also been affected by Turkish military operations and the establishment of military positions, which have contributed to restrictions on civilian access in some border areas.

Recent reporting indicates that tree cutting in parts of Amedi has been documented before the latest reports. In September, footage from Keste in Berwari Bala showed cut trees being loaded onto trucks and transported under reported Turkish military supervision.

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