Suspect arrested in Sulaymaniyah for burning centuries-old tree

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — Police in the Sulaymaniyah Forestry and Environment Directorate have arrested a suspect accused of setting fire to a tree estimated to be more than 200 years old, the directorate said in a statement. The incident occurred in Aliyawa village near Sulaymaniyah, where the Forestry and Environment Police opened an investigation after the tree was burned. The suspect was referred to judicial authorities following his arrest, according to the statement. Sulaymaniyah officials had previously launched legal proceedings after one of the oldest oak trees in the Arabat subdistrict was broken on August 4, citing the tree's historical and natural value. The case has been closely followed by environmental units. Tree cutting and burning incidents have been reported repeatedly across the Kurdistan Region. Earlier studies cited by officials found that the area has lost 290,000 hectares of Zagros forest cover since 2010.