6 December 2020 - 19:33

Turkey says backs Iraqi deal to remove PKK from Shingal

<p dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">Turkey said on Sunday, December 6, it supports an agreement signed between Iraq&rsquo;s central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil that envisages clearing the country&rsquo;s Shingal district of all non-official armed groups including the Kurdistan Workers&rsquo; Party (PKK).

“We're following developments closely,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a weekly press release.

The PKK established a foothold in Shingal in 2014, stating that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group.

On Thursday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced that the district was clear of all "armed manifestations" as part of the deal made between Baghdad and the KRG in October, Kurdistan 24 news website reported.

Turkey launched a cross-border military campaign into Kurdistan Region in June, targeting the PKK in various regions in response to an increase in attacks against Turkish military forces. The PKK which has been fighting an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades.

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