The leader of the PKK terrorist group, Murat Karayılan, who is also part of the group's executive council, has reportedly said that the PKK will move its forces away from Iraq's Sinjar region in an announcement that came shortly after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) threatened to use force if they did not withdraw from the region.
Irbil-based Rudaw Media Group cited a statement aired on PKK-linked Sterk TV on Thursday, which quoted Karayılan as saying there was no need for the KRG to use the threat of force with regards to the presence of his fighters in Sinjar and said that the disputes could be solved through dialogue and negotiations.
"The period we are in is an important period in which the fate of our people will be determined. At such a time, the unity of the Kurdish people is more valuable than ever. We view this issue in a strategic way. Therefore, we want to solve all existing problems with dialogue," the statement said, and comes after KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani threatened to remove PKK terrorists from the Sinjar area by using force.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor news website, Barzani said that the PKK-affiliated Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) are not welcomed by the local Yazidi people and their presence is causing instability in the region. "PKK presence is preventing people from returning to their homes. They are hesitating to return for fear of renewed conflict, out of concern as to what uncertain future awaits them and not because, as some allege, that we are the ones stopping them from reclaiming their lives and their homes. We share their concerns, and this is why we strongly believe that the PKK must leave Sinjar," Barzani said.
The predominantly-Yazidi town of Sinjar and its surrounding area were captured by Daesh terrorists during their blitz campaign in August 2014 that gave them control of large swathes of land in central and northwestern Iraq, in addition to the country's second largest city of Mosul.
After the region was liberated from Daesh, the PKK took advantage of the situation and settled in Mount Sinjar. Turkey has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate the PKK permanently basing themselves on Mount Sinjar, accusing the terror group of establishing a "second Mount Qandil," in reference to the group's current headquarters in northern Iraq near the border with Iran.