PKK destabilizing northern Syria, KRG premier says

DOHUK, Iraq (AA) – The PKK terrorist group is destabilizing northern Syria in its bid to establish itself there, Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani said late Thursday.

Speaking during a conference in Dohuk town of semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, Barzani said the PKK also needs to retreat from northern Iraqi region of Sinjar.

"It is not acceptable for them to stay in Sinjar, under the guise of protecting Yazidi people," Barzani said. "Our Syrian Kurdish brothers helped us about Sinjar and we thanked them. But the PKK should not stay there. They are the source of destabilization in the region."

Barzani went on to say that people of Sinjar are unable to go back to their home because of the PKK.

The PKK and its Syrian affiliate PYD/YPG, are trying to establish control across Turkey’s Syrian border, which Ankara fiercely opposes.

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in August to secure its border from terrorists and help carve a safe zone for Syrians fleeing the ongoing war.

The PKK has also sought 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 U.S.-led coalition.

Turkey previously said it would take precautionary measures, including deploying troops, to prevent PKK terrorists from securing a base in the Sinjar region.