Sinjar District Governor Mahma Halil said Wednesday that there is no sign of withdrawal by PKK terrorists from the northern Iraqi district, as envisaged by the U.S.-backed agreement, adding that they are joining the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces - PMF) paramilitary group instead.
“Majority of PKK terrorists joined Hashd al-Shaabi. A group of terrorists might be infiltrated into Tal Afar and Kirkuk as well,” Halil said, Turkish daily Yeni Şafak reported.
Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani confirmed reports Wednesday, saying that the PKK terrorists have not withdrawn from the Sinjar district and have only retreated to the mountains.
Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat also confirmed the cooperation between the paramilitary group and PKK by citing an Iraqi official, saying that 3,500 PKK terrorists will continue to receive their salaries from Hashd al-Shaabi.
Mehmet Tütüncü, Turkey's Representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, said that they are concerned about the allegations. He also emphasized that a significant portion of the terrorists are still in the region.
Last week, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said that all elements of the PKK terrorist group have left the Sinjar district in Iraq's northern Nineveh province.
"According to the agreement between the central government and the KRG, the federal forces are responsible for controlling the land and ensuring security in Sinjar," Tahsin Hafaji, the command's spokesperson, said.
The Sinjar deal, inked under the auspices of the United Nations in October between Baghdad and Irbil on the status of the region, envisages clearing the region of the PKK terrorists.
In the normalization process, security arrangements are expected to be implemented in line with the deal such as booting out armed groups, including the PKK terrorist organization, its affiliates and Iran-backed militias. Through the establishment of security and the removal of armed groups, it is expected that the displaced Yazidi community, which suffered genocidal attacks by Daesh when the group took control of significant swathes of the region, can finally return.
