MESOP NEWS ALARM ! : NOT ISIS OR TEHRAN OR ERDOGAN IS THE LARGEST DANGER FOR THE KURDISH REGIONAL REPUBLIC (KRG) – ONLY THE STALINIST PKK / BULDING MORE MILITARY STRONGHOLDS IN NORTH IRAQ

26 Dec 2016HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Using force to push the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to withdraw from Sinjar would damage the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the political wing of PKK, Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK), said on Sunday.

KCK Spokesman, Sarhat Varto, told NRT that PKK fighters retook and protected Sinjar from Islamic State (IS) militants, adding that the PKK would remain in Sinjar until threats against Yazidis disappear.

Varto noted that the parties need to find a solution for Sinjar, and that the people of the district need their own force which would protect the community from any future threats.

“The KDP cannot use force against the PKK due to the economic and political crisis in South [Iraqi] Kurdistan,” he continued. “The statements of Nechirvan Barzani, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister, are the statements of [Turkish President] Erdogan and the AKP’s government.”

“Any force depended on the AKP, will have the same fate of the AKP as its policy has failed in the region,” he added.

“As is already known, Islamic State attempted a major massacre and occupation campaign against Shingal [Sinjar] and our Yazidi people on August 3, 2014. This occupation threat also targeted the entire South [Iraqi] Kurdistan territory. At a time when all the Yazidi people were left defenseless, we as PKK intervened the situation as a requirement of the patriotism ethics and human duty. During the resistance we have mounted to defend Shingal and South Kurdistan since that day, nearly 230 freedom fighters have been martyred. This struggle of ours will continue as long as the threat against our people remains.” the KCK statement said.

Iraqi Kurdistan ruling KDP party leaders have recently stepped up pressure on the PKK to leave the Sinjar (Shingal) area, saying that rehabilitation of the town is not possible as long as the PKK remains. KCK’s response came after Nechirvan Barzani said during an interview with al-Monitor that they “strongly believe that the PKK must leave Sinjar,” and the KRG may use military force to push the PKK out of Sinjar.

The KCK statement said: “We evaluate this [Barzani] statement, which was made in parallel with the statements of Turkish state officials, as provocative remarks intending to start an inner conflict. History has proven that nobody can push us out of Shingal by use of force. Making such a statement targeting our forces in Shingal while remaining silent on the occupation by the Turkish state of many territories in Iraqi Kurdistan, harms the Kurdish unity. Neither history nor our people will forgive a force that incites a inner conflict during the current process.”

Barzani said at a conference earlier this month that as long as the PKK is there, the people of Sinjar “do not reconstruct the town. The PKK should understand that and, for the good of the people, they have to leave the region.”