Iraq 収穫s go up in smoke, but who lit the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s?
An Iraqi Kurdish 農業者 収穫s wheat in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq in June 2018. This year northern 農地s are on 解雇する／砲火／射撃
Resurgent jihadists, 民族の land 論争s or 正規の／正選手 field 燃やすing? Iraq's northern 農地s are on 解雇する／砲火／射撃, but the area's コンビナート／複合体 patchwork of grievances has made it hard to identify the 犯人s.
農業者s in the country's breadbasket had been hoping for bumper wheat and barley 収穫s in May and June, に引き続いて 激しい winter rains.
Instead, many saw their hopes turned to ash.
The Iraqi 解雇する／砲火／射撃 service says that in a 選び出す／独身 month, 236 解雇する／砲火／射撃s destroyed 5,183 ヘクタールs (more than 12,800 acres) of 農地 -- the 同等（の） of more than 7,000 football pitches.
The 炎s 攻撃する，衝突する four northern 州s, all of which had been at least partly controlled by the Islamic 明言する／公表する group and have remained prey to the jihadists' sleeper 独房s.
IS has continued to carry out 引き逃げの attacks にもかかわらず losing its Iraqi foothold in late 2017 and its last Syrian 飛び領土 just a few months ago.
Indeed, the group was quick to （人命などを）奪う，主張する responsibilit y for the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s.
In its 週刊誌 online magazine al-Naba, it said its 闘士，戦闘機s had destroyed "hundreds of ヘクタールs" owned by "apostates" in the 州s of Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salahaddin and Diyala.
公式の／役人s in those areas told AFP they believed IS was 責任がある at least some of the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s.
"IS 闘士，戦闘機s 始める，決める 解雇する／砲火／射撃 to the fields because the 農業者s 辞退するd to 支払う／賃金 them zakat," said one police officer in Kirkuk, referring to a 税金 課すd under Islamic 法律.
"They （機の）カム by motorcycle, started the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s and also 工場／植物d 爆発性のs that would go off when 居住（者）s or firefighters got there," he told AFP.
The 地雷s have killed at least five people and 負傷させるd 10 in Kirkuk 州.
- 燃やすing questions -
But 専門家s are 気が進まない to 非難する all of the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s on pyro-jihadists.
The extreme heat of northern Iraq, where 気温s have been hitting 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), has created tinder-乾燥した，日照りの 条件s in which a 逸脱する cigarette can easily 始める，決める a field alight.
解雇する／砲火／射撃s have destroyed 5,183 he ctares of 農地 in northern Iraq, the 同等（の） of over 7,000 football pitches, in areas which had 以前 seen the Islamic 明言する／公表する group 持つ／拘留する 領土
農業者s are also known to 燃やす off vegetation in fields left fallow to make the 国／地域 more fertile for 未来 seasons.
And the 長年の 強く引っ張る-of-war over land in northern Iraq likely plays a 役割, said 安全 専門家 Hisham al-Hashemi.
"IS （人命などを）奪う，主張するd dozens of 解雇する／砲火／射撃s, but the others were certainly the 製品 of land 論争s, most often の中で tribes," he told AFP.
Kirkuk, whose status is 論争d by 連邦の 政府 and 自治権のある Kurdish 地域の 行政, has 証言，証人／目撃するd periodic 暴力／激しさ between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.
So has Nineveh, which has seen 119 解雇する／砲火／射撃s in 最近の weeks, 16 of them on Thursday alone, によれば its 農業の department 長，指導者 Duraid Hekmat.
"There could be a variety of 推論する／理由s -- it could be 審議する／熟考する or just an 行為／法令／行動する of God, it could be 怠慢，過失 or personal 論争s," he said.
Nineveh was の中で the 州s hardest 攻撃する，衝突する by IS, which 掴むd its 資本／首都 Mosul as its （警察，軍隊などの）本部 in 2014 and 虐殺（する）d thousands of members of its Yazidi 宗教的な 少数，小数派.
"We're 直面するing a 抱擁する 不足 of 解雇する／砲火／射撃 トラックで運ぶs. We have 50-55 乗り物s but it's not enough for 1.5 million ヘクタールs," said Zakaria Ahmad, 副 長，率いる of Nineveh's 解雇する／砲火／射撃 service.
- 収穫 hopes dashed -
Around a third of Iraqis rely on 農業 for their income, with the 政府 subsidising seeds and 保証（人）ing to buy part of the 収穫
The 解雇する／砲火／射撃s have been 破滅的な for 農業者s banking on a good 収穫 to 支払う／賃金 off their 負債s.
Around a third of Iraqis rely on 農業 for their 暮らしs, with the 政府 subsidising seeds and 保証（人）ing to buy part of the 収穫.
Kirkuk's 200,000 ヘクタールs produce an 普通の／平均（する） 650,000 tonnes every year, によれば Burhan Assi, who 長，率いるs the 地方の 会議's 農業の service.
"This year, thanks to the rains, we were 推定する／予想するing around four tonnes per ヘクタール, compared to just two last year because of the 干ばつ," he told AFP.
But most of that has been destroyed in 解雇する／砲火／射撃s he called "the biggest, most 普及した we've ever seen".
Raad Sami, who farms land in southern Kirkuk, lost 90 ヘクタールs of wheat to the 解雇する／砲火／射撃s, which he 非難するd on IS.
"We had been waiting for the end of the season to 得る our 収穫 and sell it to 支払う／賃金 支援する our 負債s," he said.
"権利 now, the 政府 needs to 補償する us."
Youssef Ahmad, a Turkmen 農業者, doesn't know who 燃やすd his fields.
But he doesn't much care.
"Either it was IS, people who want to 掴む our land, or the result of a 論争 between Baghdad and the Kurds," he said.
"All together, they 首尾よく destroyed Iraq's economy and 農業. Because of them, we're going to have to 輸入する wheat."
