“Back in 1991, Turkey bombed our village of Sergali so heavily that we left the area,” Hasni Islam, the village leader, told our team.  He pointed to the mountain to the north, behind which the old village had been.  “Because of the ongoing war between Turkey and the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) we couldn’t return to the village area, and so moved to this site and established it as our new village. But now, two months ago (June 2016), Turkey bombed around the village here, and half of the families fled again and scattered to other towns. The other half had no other place to go or the financial means to leave, so are still here, even though they are afraid.” At one time there were 350 families, but now there are only forty.

Read Peggy Gish’s full article here

Recommended Reading A graphic explanation of the Syrian situation. By Richard Allen Greene, CNN. Graphic by Anastasia Beltyukova for CNN.  Here is the full report from CNN   Saying Goodbye Peggy Gish has served with both teams in Baghdad and Kurdistan from 2002 to 2013. Since then, she has been a reservist with the Iraqi Kurdistan team. She came back again this year to be part of our team for one month. As always she contributed a lot with her brilliant writing and communication skills as well as her warm and welcoming personality. The team will miss her happy and passionate presence. Lukasz Firla is well liked by so many people in Kurdistan. He is known for his dreadlocks, hospitality, and big smiles. From our team members and our partners, to the falafel shop owner, everyone is sad that he has left Kurdistan. Lukasz did not just work in Kurdistan but he lived with people and tried to learn about the history, culture and the way people have lived in the area for thousands of years. After five years being a full time member with CPT Iraqi Kurdistan he will start his new role as our team’s project support coordinator living full time in Colombia.       CONNECT WITH US AND GET INVOLVED We need your support to continue doing this work. Please consider donating to cover:  $5 – Food for a CPTer for one day $50 – Day trip to a village $250 – Support for our team members to learn the local language. $500 – Support for a local (long-time resident or displaced) delegation participant DONATE NOW Website Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube       Mission: Christian Peacemaker Teams: Building partnerships to transform violence and oppression. Vision: A world of communities that together embrace the diversity of the human family and live justly and peaceably with all creation. Values: Christian Peacemaker Teams is committed to work and relationships that: Honor and reflect the presence of faith and spirituality; Strengthen grassroots initiatives; Transform structures of domination and oppression; Embody creative non-violence and liberating love. CPT.ORG | CPT IRAQI KURDISTAN BLOG Categories Kurdistan Korea Iraq Subscribe to the Friday Bulletin Get Hannah’s thoughts and the entire bulletin every Friday in your inbox, and don’t miss out on news from the teams, a list of what we’re reading and information on ways to take action. First Name Last Name Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribe Read More Stories Documentary film ‘Light’ inspires hope for Palestine  CPT International Explore themes of light and hope with CPT Palestine from within the oppressive grip of the Israeli occupation. 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