Baghdad, Erbil begin implementation of Sinjar deal

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - The Iraqi central government and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) announced Tuesday that the Sinjar deal, inked between Baghdad and Erbil in October under the auspices of UN, has been put into practice.

KRG Interior Minister Rebivar Ahmed, Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, and UN Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert held a meeting to discuss the deal which will end the PKK terror group’s presence in the Sinjar district of the northern Nineveh province.

Ahmed told a news conference that the two sides will soon prepare a roadmap for the reconstruction and security of the district and implementation of the deal’s articles.

We will not allow any non-Iraqi power to remain in Sinjar, Araji said, referring to the PKK terror group.

“Iraqi security forces will be the only force to remain in Sinjar and the region,” he said.

The Iraqi Prime Ministry announced a "historic deal" with the KRG last month to bolster the federal government's authority in Sinjar under the constitution in terms of governance and security.

Ahmed Mulla Talal, the spokesman for the prime minister, said the agreement would end the authority of intruding groups in Sinjar, referring to the PKK.

The PKK terror group managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 under the pretext of protecting the local Ezidi community from the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

Some 450,000 Ezidis escaped Sinjar after Daesh/ISIS took control of the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara.