ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) halted operations in Shingal on Tuesday, saying the humanitarian organization is unable to safely operate due to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
“We strongly condemn this attitude by PKK militants and announce it to the public that we can no longer continue delivering aid to the people of Shingal," BCF said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Shingal, a disputed area located in Nineveh province, is claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad. The area northwest of Mosul is highly militarized with groups of various affiliations.
“While carrying out humanitarian duties, our teams were prevented by PKK militants several times. The Foundation’s office on Mount Shingal was also attacked,” the BCF stated.
The dominant forces in western parts of the Kurdistan Region are the Peshmerga and Zeravani — both with close ties to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest party in the region. The KDP and PKK rarely target each other directly, but do not enjoy good terms.
“Unfortunately, PKK militants continue their inhuman attitudes. On April 28, 2019, while delivering aid to the people of Shingal from Barzani Charity Foundation and the American Nebraska Church Organization, they attacked our employees imprisoned the head of BCF office in Shingal,” added BCF. Rudaw English could not independently verify the claims.
The Iraqi Army, Federal Police, provincial and municipal police, Hashd al-Shaabi, PKK-linked Shingal Protection Units (YBS), and Peshmerga are known to be active in various parts of Shingal.
“We call on the Iraqi government, United Nations, Coalition Forces and humanitarian organization in the world to prevent armed groups in Shingal area to turn the area into a platform for rivalry as civilians in Shingal need more assistance, bettering their living conditions and building the infrastructure of the area," the BCF stated.
The PKK has fought a 40-year, sometimes armed, struggle against the Turkish state. It has bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which regularly come under airstrikes.
Iraqi PM Adil Abdul-Mahdi hosted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Baghdad on Monday and spoke about "security cases" and "fighting terrorists."
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamad al-Hakim also met with Cavusoglu and said Turkey and Iraq will need to cooperate "eliminate PKK terrorist group as well."
Cavusoglu then met with Kurdistan Regional Government PM Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil; however, there was no explicit mention of the PKK in Barzani's readout. Barzani's statement said they talked about "continuing coordination and cooperation against terrorism" and also the situation in "disputed areas."
Rudaw English columnist David Romano believes KDP deputy Barzani was pressed on issues like the PKK presence in the border regions by Cavusoglu.
BCF is based in the Kurdistan Region of Erbil. It was founded in 2005. It provides humanitarian assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable local communities and individuals, according to its impressum.
Shingal is the Yezidi homeland and one of the first areas attacked by Islamic State (ISIS) extremists in 2014. The Iraqi federal government has held the security portfolio over the disputed or Kurdistani territory since its takeover in October 2017.
