Iraqi federal police deployment to Shingal splits local forces

SHINGAL, Iraq — The first point of the Shingal (Sinjar) agreement between the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region was implemented on Saturday.

Nearly 6,000 Iraqi federal policemen were deployed to western Shingal, according to the commander of the federal forces' Brigade 1.

Three Iraqi federal police brigades – nearly 6,000 men in total – were sent to guard an 80-kilometre stretch of the border between Iraq and Syria.

According to Nineveh's governor, the agreement will have been fully implemented by the beginning of the next month.

"These forces have come to guard the border, specifically the west of Shingal, Baaj, the border with Syria," said Governor of Nineveh Najm al-Jibouri. "The agreement will have been put into effect by the beginning of next month."

Some of Shingal's armed groups don't want to leave.

"It isn't fair for someone to come and impose themselves on Shingal. It isn't acceptable to ask those who have become martyrs, offered their blood to this land, and have been struggling for six years to leave [Shingal] that easily," Yazidi Party for Freedom and Democracy (PADE) member Hussain Haji said.

It's unacceptable for the Iraqi police forces to come and replace us and create chaos in Shingal. No one in their right mind would accept this.

But members of other forces say the deployment of Iraqi forces to Shingal is a good move. 

"The Iraqi federal police have come here today. Their goal is to prevent problems in Shingal. They also protect the border areas between Iraq and Syria. There used to be problems at the border areas, so I see it as a good move," Commander of the Yezidkhan Protection Forces Haider Shasho said. "They need to identify their territory before they start negotiations in Shingal." 

Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) spokesperson Tahsin al-Khafaji told Iraqi state media on Saturday that "Federal police forces sent to Sinjar district are tasked with overseeing the security file and implementing the Sinjar agreement."

"Work began with the implementation of the Sinjar Agreement, which includes the presence of federal forces only within the district – no other forces, not the Peshmerga or anyone else, and only the Iraqi flag will be raised,” he said. 

“Security inside the district will be in the hands of the federal forces, be it the police or national security forces. But outside the district, it will be the responsibility of the army.”

Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed