Iraqi Government struggles to remove foreign forces from Sinjar district, says KDP spokeswoman
Shafaq News/ The spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, Vian Dakhil, voiced concerns on Saturday, stating that the Iraqi Government has been ineffective in removing foreign forces from Sinjar district, alluding to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In a statement to reporters, Dakhil emphasized, "Iraqi policy has not yet helped in implementing the Sinjar Agreement. We have problems with the armed groups inside Sinjar."
She added, "One of the main points of the agreement is the expulsion of foreign forces from the city, but it seems that the Iraqi government is unable to expel foreign forces from inside Sinjar, including local armed groups and the Kurdistan Workers' Party."
Dakhil underscored the urgency of implementing all the agreement terms, notably the expulsion of foreign forces, to ensure the safe return of displaced people to Sinjar without risking their lives.
She expressed deep concern about the fate of more than 2,000 Yazidi girls, women, and children kidnapped by ISIS, criticizing the Iraqi Government for not earnestly pursuing the issue of the kidnapped Yazidis.
On October 9, an agreement was reached between Baghdad and Erbil to normalize the situation in Sinjar. The agreement stipulated joint management of the judiciary in administrative, security, and service aspects.
Sinjar district witnessed a brutal invasion by ISIS in 2014, resulting in a massacre against its residents. The Peshmerga forces regained control of the district the following year. However, tensions arose between the Iraqi federal and regional Governments, leading to an Iraqi army intervention in 2017.
The Iraqi authorities installed new officials in the judiciary to replace elected officials who had withdrawn from the region to Duhok Governorate during the Iraqi forces' advance. Additionally, the anti-Ankara Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) established a faction named "Sinjar Protection Units" in the region, receiving salaries from the Iraqi Government as part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
