MESOP: UNFAIR PKK – TRYING TO BLAME PESHMERGA

Peshmerga Commander Responds to PKK Leader’s Claim / Tensions rise among different Kurdish forces regarding Sinjar operation

Basnews | Karzan Sabah Hawrami – 16.05.2015 BasNews – ERBIL – A senior Kurdish official from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga (MOP) has refuted claims that the KRG has no plan to liberate Sinjar, in the northern Iraqi Province of Mosul.

The military commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Murat Qarailan claimed in a statement that the KRG has no plan to free Sinjar from Islamic State (IS) militants. He also stated that his fighters can liberate the city but to avoid creating conflict in the Kurdistan Region they intend not to enter Sinjar.  Pehmerga commander General Fariq Jamal told BasNews, “We are very surprised that people like him, who are very familiar with the areas around Sinjar, allege that the Peshmerga do not want to liberate Sinjar. “He knows very well that no military force wants to make a mistake by entering Sinjar at the moment, as the entire city is surrounded by Arab villages that IS use as safe havens.” Gen. Jamal continued, “We first need to liberate Talafar to use as gateway to transfer logistics and back up forces for those who will have to maintain security inside the city. “We have our own plan and will act accordingly, but we do not want to rush it or share it with anyone.” The commander concluded, “Freeing Sinjar is easy but maintaining the security of the city afterwards requires very secure military plans.”