Shepherds encroach on agricultural land around Batnaya in Nineveh Plains in Iraq

BATNAYA, Iraq — Videos showing shepherds encroaching on the farmland of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in the town of Batnaya in Nineveh Plains in Iraq have circulated on social media.

According to local activists, residents of Batnaya returned to their city after it was destroyed in the war against the Islamic State, who had occupied the town.

The activists stated that it is the duty of the local government in Tel Kef to protect the people of Batnaya against such encroachments, especially against shepherds whose livestock to graze on agricultural land. Already suffering from drought, the farmers of Batnaya can little afford losing even a portion of their crops to wayward livestock.

The activists called for accountability for the aggressors and the due application of the law to all so that peaceful coexistence can be achieved.

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