SARGALE, Kurdistan Region — Villagers in Duhok's Amedi district have said they are afraid to leave their homes and visit the nearby mountains due to regular Turkish bombardments.

"None of us dare to go out to collect herbs. Even our sheep can’t go out to graze," said farmer Sardar Sargale.

"We can’t leave our houses this spring, during the herb harvest season. It’s a nice time for sheep and livestock, but no one dares to go out," said housewife Khayal Sdiq.

"Our hands are tied. We get scared when we see the jets coming."

More than 500 villages have been emptied due to the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish armed group which has bases in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region.

For decades, the PKK has fought Turkey for the increased rights of the country's Kurdish minority. It is designated a terrorist organisation by Ankara.

Civilians in Duhok province have told Rudaw of their terror after Turkey launched a new cross-border military offensive on Friday night against the PKK, dubbed Operation Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt.

Rudaw