Shirwan Sirjal

Shirwan Sirjal is a 50-year-old resident of the picturesque village of Sirjal in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. For generations, he and his fellow villagers have depended on agriculture, cultivating fruits such as pomegranates, almonds, and peaches. However, the village now faces increasing military encroachment by Turkish forces, which has restricted access to land and resources, prompting Shirwan to describe the situation as a form of occupation of Kurdish territory.