MESOP NEWS : GREATER APO COUNTRY – PKK Seeking to Annex Khanasor to Rojava Cantons: Official

Basnews English –  18/06/2017 – 15:14 – SINJAR — Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) forces in the Yezidi majority region of Sinjar are intending to link Khanasor district in the region to Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) self-ruling cantons.  Waisi Naif, Chair of Sinjar Mayoral Council, told BasNews “PKK is trying to annex Khanasor administration to Rojava, thus it has begun committing administrative violations by applying [Rojava] cantons’ administrative orders in Khanasor.”

Naif warned PKK against any violations over the official administration of Sinjar, stressing that all such efforts will be futile.

“PKK is constantly bringing people from Rojava to Khanasor to take over the administration of the area,” said the official, adding that PKK has enrolled many people in its military units and stationed them in the district.

PKK entered Sinjar after the Peshmerga forces recaptured it from Islamic State (IS) militants in November 2015 after it was overrun by the militants in 2014. Ever since, PKK forces have refused to withdraw from the area, creating tensions in the district and impeding the IDPs returns. Moreover, Hashd al-Shaabi Iraqi Shi’ite paramilitary, in coordination and cooperation with PKK, managed lately to reach the Iraq-Syria border after taking control of a number of Yezidi areas in southern Sinjar. www.mesop.de