Ezidi leaders issue joint announcement asking PKK to leave Shingal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – In a joint announcement to journalists in Duhok on Saturday, Yezidi (Ezidi) leaders urged the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters to retreat from Shingal.

On Friday morning, clashes erupted between Peshmerga and the PKK-affiliated armed-wing in the Khanasor area of northwestern Sinjar (Shingal).

The violence resulted in some casualties from both sides.

“The wounds of Ezidis are still not cured, and we don’t want to face more injuries,” a member of the Ezidi Religious Council (ERC) stated as he read the announcement.

“We call for stopping intra-Kurdish fighting,” he continued.

“We see Shingal, Snune, and Khanasor as part of Kurdistan, and we have always asked to be directed and managed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG),” the Council member added.

He mentioned Ezidis did not want their areas to be divided, stating it would not serve the interest of Ezidis in the future.

“We thank the PKK for helping Ezidis and opening a corridor in Shingal on Aug. 3, 2014, to rescue Ezidis to Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan], but we ask them to return to their areas in Rojava,” the joint announcement explained.

Moreover, the Council member pointed to the example of Kobani city in Rojava where Peshmerga forces helped battle the Islamic State (IS) and then returned to the Kurdistan Region.

“We order those forces that helped us for a while to return to their normal places,” the member stated, referring to the PKK.

The announcement was signed by ERC members, including Ezidi Religious Leader Baba Sheikh, the son of the Ezidi community leader Hazim Tahseen Beg, and other Ezidi leaders from Shingal.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany