Since the beginning of spring, intensive forest clearing has been taking place in the northern Kurdish province of Muş. The region affected by the destruction of nature is Şenyayla, which until last year belonged to the Kulp district and thus lay within the provincial borders of Amed (Diyarbakır). In March 2021, head of state Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had the region separated from Kulp by decree. Since then, Şenyayla has been part of the Muş province.

Two months ago, the Turkish army had cut a wide swath through the mountainous region. A military road was built in no time at all. Now the construction of a base with several outposts and a precinct for the gendarmerie has begun. The trees cut for this purpose are collected in the Hişk Valley, where a large number of camouflaged trucks are standing by. The vehicles transport the wood to various provinces, where it is sold for profit.

The so-called village guards are likely to serve as the military's henchmen for the environmental massacre in Muş. As early as 2020, when Şenyayla was still part of Kulp, a paramilitary unit based in the region had cut down around a thousand oak trees on a forested area on the edge of a restricted military area on behalf of the Turkish army. In other provinces as well, especially in Şırnak, the army is using village guards to clear forest stands for the expansion of its military infrastructure in Kurdistan.