Turkey declares support for Sinjar deal in Iraq

By Seda Sevencan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey supports a recent deal on the northern region of Sinjar in Iraq signed between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government, the Turkish Defense Ministry declared on Sunday.

Speaking at a weekly press conference, spokeswoman Nadide Sebnem Aktop said Ankara was following developments closely after the agreement was inked on Oct. 9 to "restore public order and stability in Sinjar."

Iraqi security forces started to implement a deployment plan on Dec. 1 in the center of Sinjar district in an effort to enhance stability and security in the area and enable displaced locals to return to their homes.

The Sinjar deal, inked under the auspices of the UN on the status of the region, envisages clearing the region of the PKK terrorists.

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

Some 450,000 Ezidis fled 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 the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.