PKK terror group maintains presence in Sinjar: Official

DUHOK, Iraq (AA) - PKK terrorists and Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi fighters have moved into parts of Iraq’s Sinjar district from which the Iraqi army has recently withdrawn, Sinjar governor Mahma Khalil said Tuesday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Khalil said Iraqi forces were staging a gradual withdrawal from parts of Sinjar near the Syrian border, leaving the PKK and Hashd al-Shaabi in control of the region.

According to Khalil, the PKK still seeks a foothold in the region to “serve the objectives of foreign powers”.

“The PKK has no intention of leaving Sinjar,” he said. “Rather, it is using the area near the Iraq-Syria border to conduct illicit commerce and dispatch militants.”

Mezahim Ahmad al-Huwait, a spokesman for Arab tribes of Mosul, told Anadolu Agency that Iraqi forces had withdrawn from Sinjar at the request of Iran.

The PKK first established a presence in Sinjar in 2014 on the pretext of “protecting” the local Ezidi community from the Daesh terrorist group.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. During its three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed, including numerous women and children.

According to al-Huwait, the Iraqi army’s withdrawal from the area began several days ago.

- Balance of power

Previously, the Iraqi army -- along with U.S. military advisors -- had maintained a presence in Sinjar, which is located near the Iraq-Syria border and is populated primarily by Ezidis.

U.S. officials had earlier said that they wanted to maintain control of the strategic border region.

The region, however, now appears to be under the control of the Hashd al-Shaabi (a Shia fighting force incorporated into the Iraqi Armed Forces last year), along with Ezidi militant groups, some of which reportedly have links to the PKK.

Until October of last year, Peshmerga forces loyal to northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government had also maintained a limited presence in Sinjar.

In March, Ankara hinted at possible military intervention in the region, citing the threat posed by the ongoing PKK presence.

Soon afterward, Iraqi military officials had said that elements of the army’s 15th Brigade had been deployed in Sinjar (and the town of Sinun), prompting PKK terrorists to retreat from the region.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara