PKK presence in Sinjar unacceptable: KRG spokesman

<p style="text-align:left">The PKK organization's presence in Sinjar district, northen Iraq, is "unacceptable," Safin Dizayee, a spokesman for Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Dizayee spoke about the KRG's relations with the federal government in Baghdad and the PKK's ongoing presence in Sinjar, located in Nineveh province.
"The deployment of the Hashd al-Shaabi [a predominantly Shiite fighting force affiliated with the Iraqi army] has allowed the PKK and its local affiliates to dominate the region," he said.
Asserting that PKK loyalists had prevented the region's legitimate administration from entering Sinjar, Dizayee said that a chronic lack of public services, security challenges and the presence in Sinjar of illegal groups had dissuaded displaced local resident from returning home.
"Sinjar must be stabilized with a view to allowing residents to return to the region," he said. "The Baghdad government must take steps to ensure the departure of these groups from Sinjar."
Dizayee added: "Sinjar's legitimate administration must be allowed to return; otherwise, the district will fall into chaos."
According to Dizayee, relations between the KRG and Ankara also remain friendly despite recent political turbulence in the region.
"Relations came under a bit of strain following last year's incidents, but they remain intact," he said.
He went on to note that the KRG's ties with Turkey had seen "ups and downs" since they were first established in the early 1990s.
"Our current relations with Turkey are very good, but they could be even better," Dizayee said, adding: "We are very pleased with the recent cooperation we've seen with Turkey in a range of fields."
Reporter's code: 50101

News Code 25339

Your Comment

You are replying to: .
captcha