Nearly 700 families flee armed clashes in northern Iraq

By Ali Amkram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) – Nearly 700 families have left Sinjar in northern Iraq following Monday's clashes between the Iraqi army and a PKK-affiliated militia called Sinjar Resistance Units, Iraqi Kurdish authorities said on Tuesday.

The families fleeing the Sinjar district arrived at various safe zones across the region, according to Interior Ministry officials of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.

An Iraqi soldier was killed during Monday's clash between the PKK group and the army in Sinjar.

Iraqi Chief of General Staff Abdel Emir Yarallah, accompanied by high-level military officials, visited the region early Tuesday to evaluate the situation.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that the situation is completely under control following the clashes.

The local people played an important role in securing the area, the ministry added.

Sinjar was captured by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in 2014 and the PKK terror organization managed to establish a foothold in the area in 2015.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.