Iraqi Turkmen MP hits out at PKK presence in Sinjar

Iraqi Turkmen MP hits out at PKK presence in Sinjar

Terror group should listen to local people, international community and leave Sinjar city, says Iraqi Turkmen MP

By Muhammed Boztepe

KONYA, Turkey (AA) – A member of the Kurdish parliament for the Iraqi Turkmen Front said on Wednesday ethnic groups in the country's northern city of Sinjar were unhappy about the presence of PKK terror elements.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in the central Turkish city of Konya during an official visit, Aydin Maruf said: “The PKK should have nothing to do with Sinjar, Mahmur, Erbil and south of Kirkuk. There was no reason for their presence there.”

Maruf said the PKK was pursuing a political aspiration in the region.

He added: “Northern Iraqi Regional Government [KRG] is also uneasy with their presence and urged them to leave the area.

“The PKK aims to threaten local people, including Turkmens and other ethnic groups in Sinjar. We certainly don’t accept this. The PKK harms both locals and the environment. The international community also rebuts their presence.”

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department urged the PKK to leave the city, describing the terror group’s presence in the region as a “major obstacle to reconciliation”.

PKK, a recognized terror organization in Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, has waged a terror campaign in southeastern Turkey since the 1980s and is now trying to gain ground in Sinjar amid an ongoing operation to clear Daesh from Mosul.

“We believe that the PKK, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, should have no role in Sinjar,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner has said.

Meanwhile, KRG Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani threatened to use military force to remove the PKK from the predominantly Kurdish Ezidi city of Sinjar.

The PKK has sought to establish a foothold in the region that falls to the northeastern mountainous outskirts of Nineveh province, since Daesh was driven out last year by Peshmerga and local forces with the help of the U.S.-led coalition.

Viyan Daxil, an Ezidi lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, also spoke against the terror group’s activities in the region on Tuesday, claiming her community did not want them. “The PKK should have nothing to do in Sinjar,” she added.

Turkey has also expressed concerns about the PKK’s presence there and said it would take precautionary measures, including deploying troops, to prevent the terror group from securing a base in the region.

Speaking about the Mosul operation, Turkmen lawmaker Maruf told Anadolu Agency he found the offensive crucial for the people of Nineveh province as well as for Turkmens living in the area.

He said Mosul had become the site of a political clash between regional and international powers.

Around 40 percent of the city was cleared of Daesh, according to Maruf. “But we have concern over the period after the Mosul operation,” he added.

Maruf described Turkey’s foreign policy in Syria and Iraq, two war-torn neighbors, as very positive and something which could lead Ankara to establish good relations with Baghdad and Damascus.

He underlined that Turkey’s polices in those countries were not based on sectarianism. Turkish foreign policy as well as trade, political, diplomatic and military relations were aimed for all ethnic groups without distinction, he said.

“We saw it in Iraq and Syria. Ethnic groups in Iraq are happy with the Turkish presence there. They welcomed Turkey’s support. We need Turkey’s help. We know Turkish support is always for peace and stability in the region,” he added.

Kaynak:Source of News

This news has been read 519 times in total

ADD A COMMENT to TO THE NEWS
UYARI: Küfür, hakaret, rencide edici cümleler veya imalar, inançlara saldırı içeren, imla kuralları ile yazılmamış,
Türkçe karakter kullanılmayan ve büyük harflerle yazılmış yorumlar onaylanmamaktadır.
Previous and Next News