SINJAR – Almost a year has passed since Sinjar was liberated from the Islamic State (IS) militants, but only 45 Yazidi families have so far returned to their homes in the area due to the presence of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas.A Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament believes that Yazidi IDPs are unwilling to return to their homes fearing PKK guerrillas settled in Sinjar.Despite the presence of PKK guerrillas in the district, the mayor of the district said that lack of public services is another factor which hinders the IDPs from returning.
Mahma Khalil, the Mayor of Sinjar, told BasNews that PKK guerrillas have taken the hold of 7 public administrative buildings and they are not ready to vacate them while all other armed groups left when they were asked. When PKK guerrillas were requested to withdraw from Sinjar, they responded that they will do so only upon Baghdad’s order, Khalil said.Speaking to BasNews, Shekh Shamo, an Iraqi MP, said that the Yazidi families are afraid of PKK as their party frequently abducts their children and brainwashes them into military activities.Osman Ocalan, politician and the brother of PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, said “What PKK is doing in Sinjar serves only the enemies, the Yazidis therefore should understand that their future is tied to Kurdistan Region not PKK.”Qasim Dirbo, a commander of Yazidi Peshmerga in Sinjar, revealed to BasNews that PKK has established some Schools in Sinjar in which it indoctrinates children, especially girls, to join PKK.
PKK is taking advantage of the poor situation of Yazidis, Dirbo said. Sinjar district was deemed a ruined place by the Iraqi parliament, US Congress and other European countries, therefore the international community may contribute to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the district. www.mesop.de