The PKK leader added that the Kurdistan Workers Party and the KDP have been conducting ongoing negotiations on the subject of the former's presence in Sinjar and that PKK was ready to leave the area at the conclusion of the talks.
Prefect of Sinjar, Mehma Khelil told Sputnik that representatives of the PKK on the eve of a meeting held with the leadership of Iraqi Kurdistan have decided to leave Sinjar in the near future.
“The exact date is still unknown. The fighters of PKK will leave not only the central quarters of the city but also the nearby villages. All members of the PKK who are present there right now will withdraw from Sinjar,” Khelil said.
He further said that this is an important positive step and it means addressing the issue through dialogue, since the exit of the PKK fighters from the territory of Sinjar will help “to ensure stability in the region and establish a process in which the return of civilian population in the city and its surrounding areas will become possible.”
Sinjar was liberated from Daesh, a terror group outlawed in Russia and many other countries, by Kurdish-led forces in November 2015. Kurds have already established a military base in the region.
In Turkey, Kurds represent the largest ethnic minority, and are striving to create their own independent state, however, the PKK is outlawed in Turkey. The Kurds comprise ancient tribal groups, which are currently living in parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Kurdistan is an autonomous region of Iraq. Its status is formalized in the country’s Constitution.
