Iraqi official to travel to Ankara to discuss Shingal: Erdogan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said an Iraqi official would visit Turkey to discuss “terrorist activities” in the Kurdish-Ezidi city of Sinjar (Shingal) in Nineveh Province.

Erdogan’s speech came during a press conference before leaving for a summit with European Union leaders in the Bulgarian city of Varna.

He mentioned that Hakan Fidan, the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), would receive an Iraqi official to discuss the latest developments in Shingal, where Ankara says the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters have established a base.

Erdogan confirmed the reports about the PKK’s withdrawal from Shingal and deployment of Iraqi forces in the area, stating the Iraqi military did intervene against the Kurdish rebel group.

He mentioned that Turkey would do “what is necessary” if the Iraqi military operation in Shingal failed.

The PKK on Friday announced their withdrawal from the Shingal area, claiming the region was now free of security threats. Their departure came after repeated warnings by Ankara, which declared its intention to launch a military operation in the area.

PKK fighters deployed to Shingal in early August 2014 after the Islamic State (IS) occupied the area.

Its presence there also led to intra-Kurdish tensions, with the Kurdistan Region demanding the PKK’s withdrawal from Shingal after the area was liberated and the extremist group expelled.

The PKK is a designated “terrorist” group in Turkey, the EU, and the United States.

The group took up arms against Ankara in the 1980s to demand more rights for Kurds in a conflict that has killed thousands of people on both sides.

Turkish bombardment of the vast border areas of Turkey, Iran, and the Kurdistan Region have become commonplace since the Turkey-PKK peace process broke down in July 2015.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany