Kurdistan MoI expresses discontent with the statements of JOC spokesperson 

Shafaq News/ An official of Kurdistan's Ministry of Interior (MoI) expressed discontent with the statements of the Spokesperson to the Joint Operations Command (JOC) that underestimated the hurdles impeding the progress of the Sinjar agreement.

In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, the official said, "we are disappointed, after a full year from signing the agreement, to say that the reality does not resemble the image the spokesperson tried to demonstrate to the public. The armed manifestations by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), the groups affiliated with it under various names, and other groups from out the state, persist until the moment in the district center and periphery. Those groups control the entrances and the outskirts of Sinjar."

"In the election, they prevented the voters and candidates from reaching Sinjar and its outskirts," the official continued, "the agreement stipulates establishing a local police force that handles the security file in the district after removing armed groups and ending armed manifestations. It paves the way for the return of the legitimate administration of the district."

"The Sinjar agreement is not implemented by statements that hide the truth. It requires openness and seriousness in coping the challenges."

Within the scope of the Sinjar deal, a series of security arrangements are to be implemented, including booting out armed groups like the PKK, its affiliates, and other militias. It is expected that the displaced Yazidi community, who were subjected to genocidal attacks by the ISIS terrorist group when it took control of significant swathes of the region, will finally be able to return once security is established and armed groups are removed.