Joint Iraqi-Peshmerga force will expel armed groups from Shingal

Baghdad and Erbil have reached an initial agreement to form a joint force to “enforce law and order” in the Yezidi town of Shingal and end the presence of armed groups in the area, the spokesperson for the Iraqi prime minister told Rudaw.

 

“There was an initial agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region to form a joint force from the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga to extend control and enforce law and order in a comprehensive way in Shingal and the areas around it,” Saad al-Hadithi told Rudaw in an interview on Wednesday night.

 

In response to a query about the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Shingal, Hadithi remarked that the Iraqi constitution does not allow the use of Iraqi soil to inflict damage on or carry out aggressive acts against neighbouring countries and the Iraqi government will commit to that constitutional obligation. 

 

Though he did not say the PKK would be the focus of this joint force, the presence of the Kurdish group in Shingal has rankled both Baghdad and Erbil.

 

Hadithi said that the joint force will take shape depending on the course of the Mosul offensive that began more than three months ago. It will be tasked with eradicating armed groups, both Iraqis and non-Iraqis operating outside the security forces of Iraq and the Kurdish government. 

 

The joint force will “not to allow the presence of any armed organization, any armed group, or armed presence outside the official framework and the tasked security institutions. So this is an obligation carried out by the federal government and there is an agreement with the [Kurdistan] Region regarding this. And God willing, soon the implementation operation of this matter will begin... depending on the course of battles in Mosul,” Hadithi explained.

 

Iraq’s ambassador to Ankara, Hashim al-Allawi, told Turkish media in a recent interview that the issue of Shingal was one of the topics discussed both in Baghdad and Erbil earlier this month when a Turkish delegation headed by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim visited both capitals.

 

“There is an agreement between the central government and Kurdistan Regional Government to have a joint operation using the army and the Peshmerga to liberate Sinjar,” Allawi said. 

 

Following the Turkish visit, Turkey and Iraq committed to fighting terrorism together and neither country will permit the presence of any terrorist groups on their lands, according to an agreement made between the two prime ministers and released by the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

 

“No force will be allowed to work beyond the frame of the security forces, or the formal Iraqi security forces to be present in that area. And that agreement is final,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a joint press conference with Yildirim.

 

Yildirim noted that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was also opposed to the PKK presence in the area. “They confirmed that they are prepared to launch operations to expel terrorist organizations in Sinjar,” he said. 

 

“The government in northern Iraq and also the Iraqi central government have promised us that they will not differentiate between one terrorist organization and another. We are thankful to both governments for their sensitivity in fighting terrorist organizations and for their seriousness in expelling terrorist organizations in Sinjar, and we are prepared to cooperate with both governments to fight terrorist organizations.” 

 

The PKK took part in operations to expel ISIS from the Shingal area in November 2015 and subsequently remained to provide security and train local forces. 

 

The KRG objected to the PKK’s prolonged presence and called on them to leave. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said late last year that the PKK was hindering reconstruction of the area and the return of the displaced Yezidi population. In an interview with Al-Monitor, he said he was prepared to use force to expel the PKK. 

 

PKK leaders have said they are in talks with Erbil and an initial agreement was reportedly reached between the two sides in early January.

 

“The PKK and the Kurdistan Region have reached an agreement on pulling out the forces of the People’s Defence Force (HPG) from Sinjar,” said Mohammed Amin Penjweni, a figure close to the PKK, referring to the armed wing of the group.

The KRG’s spokesperson confirmed that they have received a positive response from the PKK on the question of the withdrawal of their forces from Shingal. “The only thing left to be discussed is mechanisms whereby the PKK forces could leave Sinjar,” Safeen Dizayee said. 

 

The umbrella political body, Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK), that the PKK is associated with, issued a statement on January 9 stating that the PKK will leave Shingal only once the Yezidi population has control of their own administration and security.

 

“The PKK assists the Yezidis to create a self-defense force and administrative institutions,” reads the statement, adding that “once the Yezidis have their own protection force and independent administration, then the PKK’s ambitions will be fulfilled in Shingal.”