Nineveh wheat harvest fires caused by stubble burning, council says

MOSUL, Iraq — Fires that spread across agricultural areas in Nineveh province in recent days were caused mostly by farmers burning wheat stubble, according to the head of the Nineveh Provincial Council's Security Committee. Committee chair Jasim al-Kakai said investigations found no evidence of a terrorist link and that most of the incidents developed accidentally as wind carried flames beyond the burning fields, damaging surrounding farmland and equipment. Al-Kakai said some vehicles and pesticide spraying systems were damaged in the blazes, but no casualties were reported and the situation is under control. He noted that residue burning is commonly carried out in the second half of the year to clear land for the next planting season. Farmers have been instructed not to burn harvest residue or agricultural land in order to prevent fires from spreading, the committee chair said. On June 22, the administration of Bashika district deployed civil defense teams and service units to respond to fires that had reached villages and farmland across the Nineveh Plain.